Minnesota’s Comeback Kids
There’s a new team in camp this year and you better watch out!
The Minnesota Wilds first game, of the six team Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, didn’t have a good beginning. They fell behind three to zero in the first period but came back to win the game five to four.
The first goal came for the Detroit Red Wings fifty seconds into the game the first shot was taken and Tomas Kopecky’s wrister slipped past Brady Block. With three minutes and twenty seconds left in the first period, Minnesota’s Brian Passmore was called for hooking. With the power play it only took the Red Wings twenty-one seconds to score. Ryan Barnes received the puck from Tomas Kopecky and drilled it into the net and then followed head first to join the puck in the net.
Detroit was put on the power play again just twenty-one seconds later when Rod Sarich was sent to the penalty box for holding. A minute into the power play Danny Groulx passed the puck across the front of the net to Pavel Datsyuk who one-timed it past Block.
With one minute and two seconds left in the period Dan Cavanaugh of the Wilds went to the box for interference but a minute later Detroit’s Jason Baird took a tripping call to nullify the power play and end the period.
Minnesota came back from the intermission with hunger. Fifty-three seconds into the second period Eric Johansson scored with the extra room on the ice, with Cavanaugh and Baird still in their respective penalty box.
Cavanaugh‘s time was up two seconds later and the Wild’s went on the power play. With five seconds left on the power play Stephan Vellieux lifted the puck over a sprawling Drew MacIntyre. Detroit tried to turn the heat down a minute and a half later when they sent their rebound past Block, but the goal was waved off.
Three minutes later the Wild’s tied it up when Cavanaugh, receiving the pass from Kyle Wanvig, sent it home. Travis Roach put the Wild’s ahead but Joel Ward of the Red Wing’s scored to even it back up before the end of the period.
With five minutes remaining in the game Wanvig scored an unassisted goal through MacIntyre’s five-hole. The team’s kept it an exciting game with plenty of scoring, a few scuffles and scrums and one good fight between Brian McGrattan and Derek Boogaard in the first period. Although both had several good punches in Boogaard was on top when the officials broke it up.
Atlanta Thrashers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Neither team put a point on the score board with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Atlanta Thrashers keeping up a steady line to the penalty box during the first period. The teams combined for an average of one penalty every two minutes, four of those being fighting majors.
Atlanta found the score board first, eleven minutes and thirty-two seconds into the second period, when Dany Heatly scored. Columbus came back with a goal six minutes later from Kiel McLeod who also scored the game winner with eight and a half minutes left in the third period.
St. Louis Blues vs. Nashville Predators
The Blues found the net early when Rowe scored with an assist from Igor Valeev a minute and twenty-two seconds into the game. The Predators gave the Blues a two man advantage when Timo Helbling was sent to the box for high sticking a minute after goalie Jure Penko had taken a penalty for interference.
Valeev scored on the man advantage with assists from Jonathan Fauteux and Jeff Panzer. Nashville’s Bryan Lundbohm scored a power play goal a minute into the third period but was unable to score again to even up the score before the end of the game.
