Presumably the Minnesota Wild didn’t leave Marian Gaborik in Denver yesterday. The more irrational among Wild fans might have voted Gaborik off the team plane on Sunday after he produced just one point in the playoff series won by Colorado three games to two. Thank the Lord sports is not a democracy.
Gaborik’s playoff production can only be described as a bust. The 26-year-old forward, among the NHL’s fastest skaters, had made 2007-08 a career season, achieving personal records in goals, assists and points. Yet an NHL source had told Sports Headliners prior to the series with the Avs that he thought goal scoring would be a problem. Despite the productive play of Brian Rolston (two goals, four assists) and Mikko Koivu (four goals, one assist), it was.
The Wild scored 12 total goals in the series. Without an effective Gaborik producing anywhere near his norm, the Wild did a lot of skating and attacking but not much goal scoring. The Avs’ effort led by the efficient play of defensemen Kurt Sauer and Adam Foote controlled Gaborik, crowding him and minimizing his chances to score and set up teammates.
But this isn’t all about Gaborik who apparently lost confidence as the series developed. Other Wild players might have put goals in the net, too. A major reason why they didn’t was the spectacular play of Avs’ goalie Jose Theodore. He not only stopped shot after shot, but often there was no rebound available for the Wild to go after.
This was the Wild’s second consecutive year in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Although the Wild lost in five games to Anaheim last year, Gaborik led the team in goals with three and tied for the lead in assists with four. Also, the Wild wouldn’t have won the franchise’s first division title this season without Gaborik whose 83 points were way ahead of any teammate (Pierre-Marc Bouchard was second at 63).
His speed is spectacular, a gift that separates him from most other players, and at 26 he has the potential to improve. That improvement can include more confidence and better playoff performances. Franchise’s that aspire to championships don’t give up on their most talented players because some stretches go south instead of north.
Gaborik, who ranked seventh in NHL goal scoring this season, will be a free agent in another year. Wild fans, even the irrational, better hope he’s sitting at the front of the team plane for a long time.