Breaking Down Game 9: Stats & Analysis

Let's take a look at some stats:

For a visual representation of how the game went down, check out this awesome chart showing the shot attempt differential from the good people at naturalstattrick.com.

Charlie Coyle had a monstrous night with a career high six shots on goal. He was the lone bright spot in the first period when the Wild were struggling to keep offensive pressure. Jason Zucker also had a huge game up on the second line playing 18:03 and had a few good looks on the rush including hitting the post in the third. Zucker, Coyle and Koivu had great chemistry all game and I would expect Mike Yeo to remember that.

The interesting line was the third, with Brodziak centering Niederreiter and Vanek through two periods and Fontaine and Vanek in the third. The line looked bad at times through the first two periods. By the third, Yeo tried to mix things up by switching our Niederreiter, arguably the best of the three, for Fontaine. From then on they clicked, setting up the final two goals that would tie the game at three. Niederreiter was pretty much absent from the third, but the stats show he still put up decent possession numbers. I think Yeo's demotion was less about Nino and more about trying to shake up those bottom two lines.

Play of the Game: Speedy Brodziak

1. Angry Mikko Koivu- Scored a goal in regulation and in the shootout and was dominant all night.

2. Kyle Brodziak- He may have missed a great chance in the first on a breakaway, but he brought his shooting percentage back up with two goals in the third.

3. Charlie Coyle- The former Shark draft pick wanted to show his old team what they missed out on. No points, but still a great game.

Next up: Saturday vs. Dallas Stars, 7:00 PM

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