Before you read this I want you to stare at the picture below for at least five seconds. I’m not kidding. Five seconds. You’re going to need it to peruse a sweep that felt so close but yet was so, so far from being anything but two Minnesota wins.

Image via cardmine.co.uk

 

#10 Michigan at #2 Minnesota

 

Friday, February 14^th, 2014

 

1^st Period

 

UM 0 Minnesota 1 05:29 EV

Kloos from Condon & Parenteau

DiGiuseppe tries to make a play along the boards, but Minnesota retains possession of the puck. Condon sees Kloos coming through the neutral zone with speed and passes it up to him.

As Condon reaches the blueline he has two options; drive the middle of the zone and try to split the defenders or skate to the outside. Credit where credit’s due, Michigan’s defenders have this 2-on-2 under control positionally. They force Condon to the outside.

It looks to me like Downing gets faked into thinking that Condon is about to take a shot and drops to a knee to block it. Condon sees this and walks around Downing, who can only stretch his stick out in a vain attempt at poke checking the puck away.

Racine is relatively square to the shooter yet still gets beat farside. This scoring chance starts because of a blown defensive play, but it’s completed on an average shot that Racine misses.

 

2^nd Period

 

UM 0 Minnesota 2 01:19 EV

Fasching from Warning & Rau

So much of this game comes down to timing. Pinching down for a big hit away from the puck usually doesn’t end well, but doing so against Minnesota’s track team of forwards just isn’t the time to do so. This hit leaves Clare behind the play and gives Minnesota an easy opportunity to enter the neutral zone with speed.

Fasching has a breakaway; after he swims through the D there’s no way either defender will catch him

Racine doesn’t want to get beat over his glove or blocker, so he doesn’t butterfly until Fasching’s practically in front of the crease. This leaves his five hole open, and that’s precisely where Fasching tucks the puck (though that’s not what he meant to do; if you look at the replay he clearly intended to make another move before the puck just rolls off his stick). Clare’s timing was off, Racine’s timing was off, everybody in blue’s timing was off and look where the puck ends up.

 

UM 1 Minnesota 2 09:45 PPG

Copp from Compher & Bennett

Compher has the puck at the point and looks like he’s going to pass to the right faceoff circle until he doesn’t. Instead he backhands an insanely beautiful pass to Copp.

Copp one-times the puck farside. Thanks to a nice little netfront screen Wilcox isn’t ready for the puck, and Michigan gets on the board.

 

UM 1 Minnesota 3 09:51 EV

Cammarata unassisted

Michigan wins the faceoff, and the puck rolls back to Downing. Pretty innocuous start to a play.

Downing tries to make a D-to-D pass but fans on it. This is a problem because, like, look.

Cammarata has too much speed to be caught by either defenseman. He skates it in and scores five hole on Racine which ughhhhhh recurrent theme I don’t like.

 

UM 1 Minnesota 4 17:29 PPG

Ambroz from Warning & Marshall

There’s potential for this to have played out differently if Copp doesn’t move his stick. At the onset of the play he has his stick inside his body in an attempt to cut off a pass to the slot. He quickly swings it outside to dissuade the puck handler from passing to the point, but this opens up the shot into the slot. Warning takes what he’s given and this is tipped in front by Ambroz.

 

UM 2 Minnesota 4 18:35 PPG

Compher from Copp & Bennett

A really nice outlet pass from Bennett gets the puck to Copp in the neutral zone. The defender squares up to Copp near the blueline. Copp sees Compher a step ahead but holds up his pass as he gains entry to the offensive zone. The defender steps towards Copp, and once he’s sure that the defender has committed he passes across to Compher.

Just look at how much room Compher has to make a move. The only defender in front of him is plying centerfield and has to come across the slot to attempt to check Compher, but there’s no way that’s going to happen before Compher shoots. He releases the puck and beats the goaltender high; like, pop the water bottle up high.

 

3^rd Period

 

UM 3 Minnesota 4 02:47 EV

Hyman unassisted

Hyman gathers the puck from a scrum in the corner and turns it toward the goal. He has one defender standing between him and the goaltender.

He pulls the puck around the defender and then has to deal with a poke check from the goalie.

Hyman somehow avoids the poke check and snaps a shot past the outstretched Wilcox.

This goal was what Mike Hart would look like if he was a goal.

Photo via mgoblog. Fuller? Upchurch?

UM 3 Minnesota 5 15:21 EV

Guertler from Reilly & Lettieri

What at first looks like an incredible defensive play turns into a big mistake and the final nail in Michigan’s coffin. Tyler Motte is without his stick and tries to Kirk-Maltby-circa-2002 this one out of the zone. I have captured here the exact moment that Brian screamed “JUST HAND PASS IT!!!!!”

Minnesota regains possession and passes the puck down low, where Minnesota is already in behind the defense.

Credit Reilly with an incredible move behind the net. He spins and dishes the puck to the slot, where Guertler is waiting to one-time it. Racine is guarding the post because he thought that Reilly was going to shoot, so he’s out of position to stop the shot from Guertler.

 

Saturday, February 15^th, 2014

 

1^st Period

 

UM 1 Minnesota 0 01:31 EV

Sinelli from Hyman & Nieves

Nieves moves the puck to Hyman, who enters the offensive zone and is outmanned. He waits for Sinelli, dropping a pass back to him.

Sinelli takes a shot from high in the offensive zone and scores. That’s about the extent of the analysis I can provide for this goal. Hockey, man.

 

UM 1 Minnesota 1 17:46 EV

Warning from Rau & Fasching

Minnesota chips the puck in and gains possession again in Michigan’s defensive zone. Minnesota has a 2-on-1, with the skater getting behind the defense.

The netfront defender for Michigan does a good job of using his stick to take away the passing lane. This forces the shot, but having a skater behind the D comes in to play in the next frame.

Warning is able to (barely) get a stick on the shot, redirecting it past Racine. There’s no way Racine can stop a deflection this close to the net.

 

2^nd Period

 

UM 1 Minnesota 2 02:53 EV

Reilly from Guertler & Lettieri

Minnesota chips it out of their own zone and then…this.

Well, at least the pass was well defended. The slap shot, however, was not. It hits the top corner above Racine’s glove.

 

UM 1 Minnesota 3 15:20 EV

Condon from Lettieri

Bennett tries reverse the puck to Downing, but the puck hits the boards and just dies. There’s no one in front of him, so he should have just tried to rim it out.

Minnesota swoops in and retrieves the puck. This draws the attention of the two defensemen, as well as the nearest forward. Minnesota starts their cycle.

There are three Michigan players bunched in the corner, and a Minnesota player who’s about to take a pass and skate freely into the crease. 3MichDbehindplay+1MinnOpen≠Good.

Condon’s shot deflects off of Selman’s stick and goes in high on Racine.

 

3^rd Period

 

UM 1 Minnesota 4 08:37 PPG

Fasching from Rau & Boyd

It’s a power play goal against. It happens somewhere in the circled area after the first two shots were stopped. It is largely irrelevant.