Backstrom/Harding...whats up

[Savages]

I own both these guys and the last 3 games have been brutal. Have the wild become a run and gun team? Also will we see a starter or just flip flop back and fourth?

[kbro]

I think Backstrom will continue to carry most of the load, though I expect Minnesota hopes to get some idea whether Harding will be ready to take on #1 duties next season, so expect him to play often on busy weeks (which there will be a lot of, given the condensed schedule), or if Backstrom ever falters.

As for the "run and gun"... I'm sure things will settle a little in another week or so. Have patience. I think Minnesota is a good team to have a stake in.

[Essej]

Backstrom is the starter, but Harding will definitely get his fair share of games, I would expect the load to be split pretty evenly with a few more going to Backstrom pending health. I don't think there is any need to worry about them and their play.

[kevinsrangers]

a lot of teams are having goalie trouble with "good' goalies. lundy doesnt even have a .900 save %.
when they get a few more practices things will settle. harding and backstrom should be a good tandem for this year. id be patient with them.
id expect backstrom to get more starts but it should be close.

[Pengwin7]

I think we'll see a 60/40 split (Backstrom still #1).
Yes - defensively, the Minnesota defense is bad.
It's Suter and a huge drop off. Huge.
There's a reason they had to bring up Brodin.

I don't even believe the Suter-Spurgeon experiment was working.

[bondon]

I've actually been very curious about this too. Last year the Wild had problems putting the puck in the net, but started out the season having no difficulty keeping it out. They did eventually level off but still ended up in the middle of the pack in GA/G...

Add a solid two way forward in Parise and a solid two-way d-man and their GA/G has actually gone up by almost half a goal per game from last year?

Odd to me...

[Pengwin7]

I've actually been very curious about this too. Last year the Wild had problems putting the puck in the net, but started out the season having no difficulty keeping it out. They did eventually level off but still ended up in the middle of the pack in GA/G...

Add a solid two way forward in Parise and a solid two-way d-man and their GA/G has actually gone up by almost half a goal per game from last year?

Odd to me...

True that they added Parise & Suter... but additions are just one-side of the coin. The team has been turning over a ton of players, especially defensive, for the last year.

Consider all of these defensemen that were part of the Wild for some part of last year:
*Zidlicky
*Zanon
*Nick Schultz
*Kampfer
*Foster

And now Brodin & Suter are both new.

With goalies... change on defense is not good.
Goalies thrive in learning their environment. Most goalies start excelling when they play behind the same defensemen. Even with shitty defensemen, at least the goalie knows their weakness - like what type of shot that D is likely to give up.

A goalie switching to a new location is usually bad for stats (Bryz year #1 in Philly, Halak year #1 in STL, Lehtonen year #1 in DAL, Varlamov year #1 in Colorado). But look at all those guys in their 2nd (or 3rd years) with their teams.

It's the same case when a team turns over their defense dramatically - which is how I think it feels for Backstrom in Minnesota. It takes a while... a decently long while to learn to read your defensemen.

The same thing happened with Ryan Miller in Buffalo when they lost Tallinder/Lydman after the Vezina year. The same thing is going to happen to Jimmy Howard this year with losing Lidstrom & Brad Stuart.


For goalies, drastic change is usually not good for stats.

[Shenanigans]

True that they added Parise & Suter... but additions are just one-side of the coin. The team has been turning over a ton of players, especially defensive, for the last year.

Consider all of these defensemen that were part of the Wild for some part of last year:
*Zidlicky
*Zanon
*Nick Schultz
*Kampfer
*Foster

And now Brodin & Suter are both new.

With goalies... change on defense is not good.
Goalies thrive in learning their environment. Most goalies start excelling when they play behind the same defensemen. Even with shitty defensemen, at least the goalie knows their weakness - like what type of shot that D is likely to give up.

A goalie switching to a new location is usually bad for stats (Bryz year #1 in Philly, Halak year #1 in STL, Lehtonen year #1 in DAL, Varlamov year #1 in Colorado). But look at all those guys in their 2nd (or 3rd years) with their teams.

It's the same case when a team turns over their defense dramatically - which is how I think it feels for Backstrom in Minnesota. It takes a while... a decently long while to learn to read your defensemen.

The same thing happened with Ryan Miller in Buffalo when they lost Tallinder/Lydman after the Vezina year. The same thing is going to happen to Jimmy Howard this year with losing Lidstrom & Brad Stuart.


For goalies, drastic change is usually not good for stats.

That could not have been better stated, Pengwin7. Good one.

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