The Minnesota Wild are now tied for second in the Central Division and riding a five game winning streak. One of the reasons for it…the gritty play of tough guy Kurtis Gabriel.
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As of late a lot has been going right for the Minnesota Wild. The five game winning streak they are on is a testament to a team that seems to have finally found a solid formula for winning. So many different things can be attributed to this recent success some of which are obvious and some that are not so obvious.
The obvious things seem to be the play of Devan Dubnyk in net, the stingy/fundamentally sound system of Bruce Boudreau taking hold, and the stepped up play of the mid-twenties crowd like Zucker, Niederreiter, and Granlund. Leading the way in the not so obvious category is the tough nosed play of recent call-up Kurtis Gabriel.
That’s right I said it…one of the biggest factors of the Wild’s recent winning streak has been a power forward/enforcer. It’s hard to argue that since Gabriel’s first game this season on December 2nd in Calgary that the Wild have not responded to his energy and the team has been on a roll since.
Gabriel has fought in 4 of his 6 games played and the Wild have rolled. The first of those fights was a well time energy booster in the first game of the current winning streak. In Edmonton Gabriel decided to take on Zack Kassian with the Wild looking horrible in the first period down 1-0 and looking to dig a larger hole for themselves. The result Charlie Coyle scored the first goal of the game and the Wild eventually got the OT winner to start this roll.
Dec 11, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Kurtis Gabriel (63) and St Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves (75) fight in the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
According to Michael Russo in his blog after the game “Gabriel got mad props in the locker room for the move, and the fight was definitely in response to Gabriel crushing an Oiler his previous shift. Boudreau felt the turning points of the game came in the first with Gabriel’s hit, then Gabriel’s fight”
His subsequent scrums since then have had much of the same effect, picking up the Wild when the energy is low. And that’s an important thing considering that just a few weeks ago this was a Wild team that was constantly be accused of being flat and listless at key points in a game. If a Gabriel fight sparks them back to life than that’s every bit of a great contribution as many of his teammates can muster other ways.
Dec 13, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Kurtis Gabriel (63) fights with Florida Panthers defenseman Dylan McIlrath (8) during the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
In addition to that energy a good tough man like Gabriel makes for a confident team. Last season in Iowa Tyler Gravoac explained the Gabriel effect best. He explained to Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register that “I feel a little more safe out there. If anyone is going to mess with me, they’re going to have to go through him first.”
The Wild are feeling that same way now. They know that they can play there game and the other team will think twice before trying to run them through the boards lest they have to square off with Gabriel. Graovac once again explained it best when he said “That’s what I respect about Kurtis, he does his job, and he does it very well. So it allows me to do my job.” Like Battery, the rest of the Wild are able to do their job.
The quick hockey history lesson here why do you think Gretzky was able to play 20 NHL seasons relatively injury free? Because Dave Semenko, Marty McSorley, or Jeff Beukeboom would have and did destroy anyone who touched him or breathed on him wrong.
So when you think about this Wild success lately, think about how Gabriel is making it easier for teammates out there. Boudreau appreciates it and the effect it’s had on the team, and not to mention the results don’t lie. So if you don’t like fighting that’s cool, you don’t have to. But the Wild appreciate it…just look at the standings.
