ANAHEIM, Calif. – Hockey, by nature, is much more free-flowing than sports like baseball and football, but one of the places that coaches can have fun getting strategic is with the last-change rights owned by the home team.
Simply put, it means the visitors have to put their five players on the ice before the home team does so, giving the home coach more of an opportunity to match lines and put certain players on the ice versus the visitors’ top threats.
Fans of the Minnesota North Stars during their run to the 1991 Stanley Cup Final will recall how effectively Minnesota coach Bob Gainey employed a player like Stew Gavin to frustrate standout players of that era like Chicago’s Jeremy Roenick, Brett Hull of St. Louis and Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux.
While full-scale shadowing is less a part of the modern NHL, home teams still try to devise ways to slow down the star players who come to visit.
And with Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov producing eye-popping numbers on a nightly basis, Anaheim coach Greg Cronin admitted prior to Friday’s game that the Ducks’ plan was to employ a concerted effort to slow Minnesota’s top line. At the risk of revealing his game plan, Cronin said the defense-first line of Brett Leason, Isac Lundestrom and Brock McGinn would see plenty of No. 97 in white whenever possible.
“Without giving any house secrets away, that’s the logical line (because) you’ve got three penalty killers,” Cronin said following Anaheim’s morning skate on Friday. “Kaprizov is dynamic. They’ve been just tearing the league up, so we’ll use a combination, probably, of a couple lines to try and slow them down.”
Cronin, who has been rumored to be on the proverbial hot seat with the Ducks in the Western Conference cellar, added that he feels his defenders play more of a role than any particular forward line in slowing the opponents’ top stars. The Ducks got some future help to that effect on Friday morning, when they traded for New York Rangers standout Jacob Trouba, although he did not make it to Southern California in time to face the Wild.
Wild coach John Hynes, for his part, said the chess match on ice is part of the fun of coaching.
“I enjoy it a lot. With some of the players we have on this team, you can switch things around if you see a matchup,” he said, noting that Kaprizov’s willingness to double shift gives Minnesota yet another way to beat any attempt at line matching by the opponent. “He’s a guy, too, that it doesn’t mean he’s going to play with that line all night tonight too. If that is the case, we just bounce him around.”
Johnson makes Wild debut
Chicago Blackhawks center Reese Johnson, right, and Minnesota Wild center Connor Dewar fight during the second period of an NHL preseason hockey game Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Early last season, a hard check into the boards by Chicago forward Reese Johnson was part of the all-season injury nightmare that Wild captain Jared Spurgeon endured. As of Friday night, the two former foes had become teammates, with Johnson making his debut in green and red.
After parts of five seasons with Chicago, Johnson, 26, signed a one-year contract with the Wild over the summer and had nine points in 18 games with the Iowa Wild before getting recalled this week, a short time before top-line forward Joel Eriksson Ek was placed on injured reserve.
After the team’s morning skate, Johnson said he was excited to be joining one of the top teams in the league right now, and said that Wild fans will get to know him for his work ethic.
“I want to out-work teams and out-work the guys I’m up against. That’s a big thing,” he said. “I feel like I’m playing my best when I’m moving my feet, finishing checks and being physical, and hard to play against.”
Friendly Gophers-Wolverines wager at hand
Brock Faber
When Michigan traveled to 3M Arena at Mariucci for a two-gamer with the Gophers this weekend, there were more than just a pair of undefeated records in the Big Ten at stake. For Wild defensemen Jon Merrill (who skated for Michigan) and Brock Faber (a two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year winner with Minnesota) there was pride and a friendly wager on the line.
While the terms of the bet had not been determined by Friday morning, both Merrill and Faber said there would be something material on the line — like the loser having to pay for dinner in the future.
“We haven’t talked about it yet, but we’ll get something figured out today, for sure,” Faber said.
Related Articles
Wild teammates look forward to making 4 Nations frenemies
Five Wild players to skate for a medal at 4 Nations Face-Off
Kirill Kaprizov plays OT hero, again, for Wild
Injuries force Wild to juggle lineup in advance of Canucks visit
David Jiricek gets warm Wild welcome amid Minnesota chill
Leave a Reply