The Wild are an interesting team. Not interesting in the way they play, obviously, but interesing in that they are a study of the effects of coaching and organizational culture on performance. I mean, despite injuries, lack luster depth and changing personnel, Lemaire ALWAYS manages to make the Wild a challenging club to play against due to his unbending focus on defensive systems and discipline. As a result, Minnesota ALWAYS has good special teams and their goalies always have good to excellent Save percentages.
That's true again this season. Backstrom is a league leader in SV% and Minnesota has the best PK in the NHL. They've also taken the least amount of penalties, meaning a league low 25 PPG against. The Flames, owners of the 3rd best PK, have given up 36 PPG as a comparison.
Minny is a couple points out of play-off spot, despite being in the black in terms of GD. They can't really score at ES, having mostly to do with Gaborik's laughably fragile groin - not to mention frequent injuries to guys like Owen Nolan. At one point, the club was forced to deploy Brent Burns at forward due to all their injuries.
Whatever success the team has had this year has been propelled by the emergent Mikko Koivu. Mirtle has him as a Selke favorite, which is appropriate given the fact that he outscores some bloody tough competition without much help. I can't imagine the damage Koivu could do in an offense friendly system with some better linemates. He's the guy Jarome will see all night, no doubt, and definitely worth watching.
I think if the Flames play this bullshit run-and-gun style (that has victimized Kipper and garnered them all of 3 wins this month) tonight in Minnesota, they'll be eaten alive. Lemaire teams feast on turn-overs in the neutral and shallow defensive zones. They rigidly and methodically trap the life out of a team, each shift prodding the opposition for that wayward pass or frustrated deke into 3 players that results in an odd man rush going the other way. And then there's the always efficient Minnesota Wild special teams - another thing the Flames have been struggling with the last little while.
Nope, I don't like this match-up at all, given the way Calgary has been trending. I guess the good news is the Flames have superior depth (Moss/Glencross should do well again this evening) and more guys who can finish in the line-up. Perhaps that will see them through this evening...
Prediction - Calgary 3, Wild 2. Iginla, Lombardi and Moss for the Flames. Miettinen and Burns for Minny.
Go Flames.
Also, Check out FlamesNation for more of my thoughts on the February Flames as well as TLP's eventual gameday post.
INSTANT UPDATE - Flames will be without Daymond Langkow (hand) and Andre Roy (concussion) this evening. Both of them were hurt in the Vancouver match. According to Inside the Flames, Brandon Prust (meh) and Jim Vandermeer (bleh) will be drawing in their stead.
I assume what this means is a promotion for Boyd up to the 3rd line. Of course, I've assumed as much before only to be proven wrong...
