Rookie tourney live blog: If PIMs were points, these kids would be superstars
Here’s a live blog of the Minnesota-St. Louis prospects game at the NHL’s Traverse City rookie tournament.
Want rosters? Okay. Minnesota’s are here, St. Louis’ are here.
All updates below the jump.
Postgame thoughts
Well, at least it was a live game, ugly or not. Berglund was the best player on the ice by far.
That was, however, a fairly dreadful game to have to live blog. Too many penalties, bad ones too, and very little good offense through the first 45 minutes. Still, that’s 2,300 words I’ll never get back so what do I care?
Third period
Andy Murray joins the broadcast. Let’s hope he’s better than Risebrough.
Minnesota simply can’t get it past the St. Louis blue line 2:30 through this period. It’s been pretty bad. As good as St. Louis’ transition has been, Minnesota’s has been that bad.
This third period has been much like the first. With 15:41 to go, absolutely nothing has happened. Nothing.
Alex Hellstrom and Matt Kassian almost get into a fight, but they just hug eachother instead and the linesmen break it up. Hellstrom got whistled for roughing. Another Minnesota power play is on the way.
“Khudobin looks strong there, closing the side door,” says Brian Duff. Except that on a weak wrister from the corner, he jumped up, had the puck land at his feet, and fell backways.
Matching penalties now. That’s just what this game needs. Andy Murray says the refs are calling it the way it should be called, discounting the idea that the game should be called “an embarrassment” and both teams should be sent back to their hotels to write an essay about how sorry they are. Team representatives: please e-mail me at twolinepassblog@gmail.com to get a home address to which you can send these written apologies.
They’re talking about St. Louis’ goalie depth. Legace (”Our MVP last year,” says Murray. “Really? Over Brad Boyes?” query I.), Mason, Bishop, Toivonen, and Marek Schwarz. Interestingly, none of these goalies are all that good. Keep it up, St. Louis!
THIS GUY IS A PENGUINS FAN IN CALIFORNIA! HAW HAW HAW HE IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT GOALS! This Center Ice commercial is quickly getting on my nerves.
Khudobin covered the first puck to get to either net in quite some time. Riveting game, this.
Know what Minnesota seems to really favor in this game? Own-zone turnovers. The Blues’ takeaway totals in the attacking zone must be through the roof. Still, though, they can’t get any shots.
“It’s been a long summer,” mentions Murray. This 60 minutes of quote-unquote hockey ain’t helpin’ none. Murray also just blamed the Blues’ inability to make the playoffs on Hannu Toivonen. I am not kidding.
This game is thankfully winding down, and neither team especially seems like they want to make a last-minute push.
This is the third time I’ve seen the Tom Barasso “Moments on Ice” since the game started. He came right out of Acton-Boxboro High School into the NHL, I’ve repeatedly heard.
FINALLY!! Duff uses the term “organ-eye-zation.” It’s now officially hockey season. Is “o-fence” too much to hope for now?
Hellstrom just got cleaned out from behind by Hodgman. He’s fine, but that’s another dangerous play. I think that might be the problem with this whole tournament. Too many free agent kids trying to make a name for themselves and earn an invite to a camp with a big hit. Not too smart though. Another St. Louis power play here, but it’s off to a poor start.
ST. LOUIS GOAL: WOW! Berglund just skated through half the Wild roster and at least three fans, going wing-to-wing through the neutral zone and scoring from the left side of the net from a bad angle. That was awful pretty. 3-2 Minnesota but only 2:30something to tie it.
And there’s “o-fensive zone.” I love hockey.
Minnesota just took a penalty on a busted breakout. Looked like Berglund got low-bridged from behind. He really has been the best player on the ice. Minnesota will use its time out and St. Louis will probably yank the goalie.
Yeah, there goes Bishop with 1:08 left and a faceoff to Khudobin’s right. St. Louis has really juiced up the forecheck late in the third.
Nice turnover at the blue line by Oshie. Long-range shot goes well wide.
Khudobin covers a loose puck for a big stop with 19.8 to go, and St. Louis looks menacing. This last few minutes is what the entire game should have been. It’s been pretty wide open. St. Louis timeout.
Draw won back out of the zone and that’ll do it. Minnesota wins a 3-2 decision.
Second intermission
Wrapped up one of my fantasy drafts midway through that period. Feeling okay about how it worked out. I got Jarome Iginla, Marian Gaborik, JS Giguere, Brian Campbell, Paul Stastny, Henrik Sedin, Anze Kopitar, Ilya Bryzgalov, Dan Carcillo, Patrik Elias, Marco Sturm, Dustin Byfuglien, Lubie Visnovsky, Brad Boyes, Matthias Ohlund, and Matheiu Garon. That’s in a 10-team league. I am feeling good about that.
Big Ben Bishop is in net for St. Louis now. He’s 6-foot-7 and you’ll hear a lot about that as this third period gets underway
Second period
Doug Risebrough joins our friends in the booth and promptly says nothing except that there are bad games and good games, and this is a good game. I’m not sure which he’s been watching.
Risebrough thinks the Wild are light on defense and that’s why they drafted Cuma. Cuma had a tough Wild camp. He got split open on a high stick, sprained his knee, and got food poisoning.
Wild penalty. This game is awesome.
ST. LOUIS GOAL: Finally. St. Louis scores five seconds or so into their power play. Nikolai Lemtyugov pops it in to put his team up 1-0. Really nice shot. Really nice.
Berglund just got a high stick in the mouth from Gillies. This is a very spirited game, in that I am extending my definition of “spirited” to include “undisciplined and sloppy.”
Alex Pietrangelo just takes a swing and a miss at a juicy puck in the high slot, turns it over, goes to retrieve it in the neutral zone, and gets knocked on his ass before shoveling it to a teammate. That’s a rough shift right there.
Were you just thinking that there hadn’t been a penalty in like 1:38? Lucky for you Hodgman hooked Berglund on his way through the neutral zone. Special teams are extra special tonight.
MINNESOTA GOAL: There’s a neutral zone turnover forced by Cal Clutterbuck. His shot was poor, but Maxim Noreau was there to pick up the pieces of that disaster of a breakaway for a shorthanded goal. It’s now 1-1. The crowd is as disenchanted with this game as I am.
Another penalty as Scott Wasden gets into it with someone on the Blues. These announcers are doing a great job, just jabbering on through the whole play about who had a good draft while two kids get in a shoving match, and mention neither of them. They think it’s a penalty on the blues. That’s a safe bet.
“Give 110 percent 100 percent of the time?” You bet I will! Someone tell the Blues defense to do the same.
Yeah, it’s another Minnesota power play. Doug Risebrough describes the offense as “a little light.” You could say that. The 12-12 shot total is incredibly generous.
MINNESOTA GOAL: Ryan Graham, another tryout kid, gets a nice feed through the neutral zone from Chris Culligan and breaks in on goal unchallenged. The kid’s got a little bit of handsiness about him, tucking it nicely between Allen’s pads. 2-1 Wild.
(Actually, on the replay, it trickled in after it hopped off his blade. On second thought, that’s an awful goal for Allen to give up.)
Another St. Louis penalty. Jesus. These are really bad penalties to take. Risebrough calls them “careless.” He’s right. Meanwhile, the Wild busy themselves with shooting right into every St. Louis shin pad they can find.
Penalty killed. Minnesota is 1 for 6 on the man advantage. Keep in mind we’re halfway through this game.
A discussion breaks out on the rise of shotblocking skill in the league. Risebrough continues to be fascinating. “You just get in front of it and the padding is so protective that it has no consequence.” I’ll let all those guys that broke a foot on a blocked shot over the last few years in on the good news. There are at least four I can think of off the top of my head.
St. Louis has really only looked good in transition. Khudobin just pulled a puck back off the line after a nice criss-cross odd-man rush after a waived-off icing call.
Man I hate this new Center Ice commercial. WHY DOES THIS GUY HAVE BOARDS AND GLASS SET UP AROUND HIS TELEVISION? I DON’T KNOW BUT IT SEEMS FUNNY!
Risebrough is STILL bitching about the Kurtis Foster injury on a touch-up icing call last year. Come on, dude. You won the division. These things happen in hockey.
MINNESOTA GOAL: Morten Madsen tips home a Tyler Schmidt point shot, but the whole play was set up by Gillies outworking a pair of Blues in the corner to free the puck up and get it back to the point in the first place. That’s 3-1 Wild on the first non-special teams goal of the game. Whoopie!
More big hits, but we haven’t had a penalty in at least four minutes. We might see a watchable third period here. I’m hoping at least.
Mark Cundari just rips one at the buzzer, but it doesn’t beat Khudobin. It remains 3-1 through two periods.
First intermission
I’d love to see a shot chart from that period. You could count the shots on goal on one hand, I’ll guarantee that.
Oh it’s that “110 percent 100 percent of the time” commercial. That was great the first 500 times I saw it. And here’s a Center Ice commercial. These are always annoying. Attention National Hockey League: I will buy Center Ice. That’s why I’m watching the NHL Network for a rookie tournament game in September. Please stop with these commercials. It’s not as bad as The Puckheads from last year, but it’s really bad nonetheless.
THEY HAVE SHOTS ON GOAL AT 9-5 FOR MINNESOTA?! WHAT?
First period
The announcers are already bitching about bad ice and half the players on it promptly fall down. We’re off to a good start.
Minnesota’s carrying eight defensemen on a 22-man bench. Doesn’t seem like that’s fair. Gillies just drilled Scott Wasdin, a free agent tryout.
Minnesota goes to the power play as (someone) goes off for hooking. Nice of these guys to keep us updated. And there’s Oshie drawing an interference call. Back to 4-on-4.
Curtis MacMillan just hit Matt McCue pretty hard in the corner on a touch-up icing call. Seems like a bad idea to use that rule with a bunch of kids.
Justin Hodgman just got leveled in the neutral zone too. This is exactly the kind of hockey I need in mid-September. Just a bunch of teenagers trying to earn a spot by seriously hurting eachother.
St. Louis’ Tomas Kanna forces a blue-line turnover and promptly does nothing with the ensuing breakaway.
Ryan Graham and Brennan Sonne, two non-roster invitees, just got into a scrap. Sone backed him into the boards and, after getting pummeled early, just crushed Graham with a right hand. Nice late decision for the kid.
Berglund just got robbed on a real good chance by Khudobin. He’s a big kid, Berglund is. Goes to the high-traffic areas and doesn’t shy away from contact. He looks real good so far.
Oshie just did a good job killing off the last of a Minnesota power play, fighting off two guys along the boards to hold onto the puck. Oshie’s been very impressive so far in all situations.
If you tuned into this game to see, say, offensively-minded hockey, you will have been sorely disappointed. There have been some HUGE hits, and absolutely nothing in terms of offense. I count four combined shots on goal inside six minutes to go in the period. The best chance, a loose puck that came right to Frederic St. Denis, was put about 45 feet wide of the net. I mean, I’m a guy that likes physical hockey, but someone should at least try to put a puck near the net and see what happens. Oh good, another St. Louis penalty! Their PK units are going to be exhausted after this game.
The announcers make the same point I did about being exhausted, only they say it’s just going to be defensemen that are tired. Thankfully the Blues brought eight of them tonight. Eight!
Whaddaya know? Minnesota registers zero shots on the power play. This has been a phenomenal game. Berglund did just get robbed again though.
And here’s another holding call! You keep it up, St. Louis. Maybe you CAN tire out eight kids.
Pre-game chatter
Your starting netminders are Jake Allen for St. Louis and Anton Khudobin for Minnesota.
The team highlights the two kids to see in the game, Minnesota’s Colton Gillies and St. Louis’ Patrick Berglund. I disagree on the latter, good though Berglund may be. This T.J. Oshie kid’s a player.
Wow! Craig Button is calling this game! I hope he details his insightful ability to judge young talent, and why he picked Daniel Tzachuk first overall. Instead, he just says certain words much louder than normal for no reason a la post-1990 Al Pacino.
Okay, it’s 8 p.m. and the Red Wings just beat the Penguins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals 4-0. Sometimes I forget how dominant they were in that series. Just crazy.
