Wilderness Walk: Officials Play Their Part

Yeah those penalties sucked. What sucked more was that the PK let them score on those though. Bad calls will happen, you've got to be able to beat the refs sometimes. They're human too and do make mistakes. 

How about when we get on the PP we try to actually throw some pucks on net more than once or twice? That'd be nice.. 

PPGs are the difference in this series. Dallas is taking advantage and we're just not. 

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PPGs are the difference in this series. Dallas is taking advantage and we're just not. 

This has been an ongoing issue for the Wild. Their PP percentage is wack because they are hot and cold. Whatever the percentage is, my opinion is that it’s generally poor with odd games where they get a few. 
 

it’s not as bad as it was and I think they’re trying to improve there. Still 0-3 on the PP hurts when the team loses by just a goal or two. Like you said, same idea on the PK. That’s the hockey game.

44 minutes ago, Protec said:

it’s not as bad as it was and I think they’re trying to improve there. Still 0-3 on the PP hurts when the team loses by just a goal or two. Like you said, same idea on the PK. That’s the hockey game.

It blows my mind how much we try to set up PPGs when we're on it tbh. I get that we have space and time, but Oettinger is too damn good to get beat cleanly very often. We've just got to start throwing pucks on net more imo. I mean how many pretty goals do we have on the guy outside of that dominant game 3 performance?

We're, generally, fine about throwing pucks on net in 5-on-5 play but when we get the extra attacker we go back to being too cute with the passes. I just don't get it. 

Although, to be fair to the team, we did have our chances to beat him in this game and we just didn't. Kaprizov missing that wide-open net was a killer :(

18 minutes ago, B1GKappa97 said:

It blows my mind how much we try to set up PPGs when we're on it tbh. I get that we have space and time, but Oettinger is too damn good to get beat cleanly very often. We've just got to start throwing pucks on net more imo. I mean how many pretty goals do we have on the guy outside of that dominant game 3 performance?

I think missing Ek is the biggest factor on the PP. We don't have that net front presence so pot a rebound from a thrown in shot. That first PP needs a big body, maybe flip Moose and Mojo? Bring in Sunny?

20 minutes ago, IllicitFive said:

I think missing Ek is the biggest factor on the PP. We don't have that net front presence so pot a rebound from a thrown in shot. That first PP needs a big body, maybe flip Moose and Mojo? Bring in Sunny?

This is very true. Ek's presence is definitely missed. It would probably be a very different series if we had him in the lineup. 

I'd be fine putting Foligno in there to replace the net front presence. He's fairly strong on the boards too. Hopefully they do something to adjust because what we're doing right now just isn't really working and all we end up doing is passing along the perimeter for the first 45 seconds. 

7 hours ago, B1GKappa97 said:

How about when we get on the PP we try to actually throw some pucks on net more than once or twice? That'd be nice.. 

PPGs are the difference in this series. Dallas is taking advantage and we're just not. 

It looks like this PP is designed to be a perimeter PP. We pass the puck around the perimeter looking for an opening all the while the other team just remains in their box.  There's not much of an attempt to create 2-1s in short spaces.  I think it would be a lot more effective if we could crash nets and play in the home plate area.

That said, nothing in the article mentions that Oettinger stole this game.  2 2-1s and 2 breakaways and we get stoned all 4 times.  This is the reason we lost this game.  The phantom penalties were killers, but you've got to convert on your chances.  Dallas did that in game 2, we needed to do it in game 4.  

Kaprizov was moving and shooting, that is good, but it looks like he's pressing, so he needs a goal. So does Boldy.

Do you want to change the officiating?  It was equally bad both ways. It's the threat of the game getting out of hand. Not sure what happened to Hartsy, but mouthing off is an unearned penalty.  If you're going to get a 10, then earn it! Referees need that threat that the game could go sideways because of their calls or no calls at any time.  It keeps them on their toes, and will change the way they call games.  

27 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Do you want to change the officiating?  It was equally bad both ways. It's the threat of the game getting out of hand. Not sure what happened to Hartsy, but mouthing off is an unearned penalty.  If you're going to get a 10, then earn it! Referees need that threat that the game could go sideways because of their calls or no calls at any time.  It keeps them on their toes, and will change the way they call games.  

I wonder if that mindset will happen, the if going to get 10 then earn it.  What they are trying to avoid may occur, eventually frustration may take over and everyone gets the "well f it then" mindset and players start taking runs or more cheap shots since they are getting 10 for yelling.

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

It looks like this PP is designed to be a perimeter PP. We pass the puck around the perimeter looking for an opening all the while the other team just remains in their box.  There's not much of an attempt to create 2-1s in short spaces.  I think it would be a lot more effective if we could crash nets and play in the home plate area.

We barely practice because the HC wants to weaponize rest, but it is showing up on the PP unfortunately. We look really disjointed out there relative to other teams. Especially once the post-season hits. I don't get it. 

Even if we end up winning this series, I hope that Dean starts to take the ST practices seriously because it will have played a big role in too many of our losses the last couple years. 

Well its official. The league wants us to lose. 

Two games ago the Oilers-Kings had a horribly officiated game that featured 9 PPs and left everyone with a bad taste in their mouth.... 

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/edm-vs-lak/2023/04/21/2022030183#game=2022030183,game_state=final,game_tab=stats

Note the refs. See any familiar names in our last game? 

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/dal-vs-min/2023/04/23/2022030164#game=2022030164,game_state=final,game_tab=stats

Thanks NHL for moving your trash from one series to the next! 

Haha. There’s three possibilities, either they are incompetent or crooked or both.

Why would they get shipped around? To help direct the results? What markets have they wanted to grow historically, Minnesota? 
 

18 hours ago, Protec said:

Haha. There’s three possibilities, either they are incompetent or crooked or both.

I'd have to side on the incompetent selection.  With the referee rotation we saw in the regular season, there were some that were just head scratchers, I wondered if I was watching the same game.  

And, if this is the case, then enforcing rules becomes the responsibility of the team.  Yes, we need better officials, but so many of them are young and inexperienced.  Well, it's time to give them some experience! 

I'd suggest that the next time we get one of these crews, if they show up incompetent again, we give them a lesson in what their incompetence causes: Scrutiny, review, and a lot of paperwork.