Minnesota Wild (7-6-0) 14pts 5th in the Central
2.77 Goals For (12th)
2.23 Goals Against (8th)
5% Power Play (29th)
86.5% Penalty Kill (6th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #26 Thomas Vanek ~ 1G 8A = 9pts
2. #29 Jason Pominville ~ 4G 4A = 8pts
3. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 1G 7A = 8pts
4. #16 Jason Zucker ~ 5G 2A = 7pts
5. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 4G 2A = 6pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #6 Marco Scandella ~ 26 PIM’s
2. #18 Ryan Carter ~ 14 PIM’s
3. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 12 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #35 Darcy Kuemper (6-4-0) 1.99GAA .916%SP 3SO
2. #32 Niklas Backstrom (1-2-0) 2.68GAA .869%SP
Vs.
New Jersey Devils (6-6-2) 14pts 6th in the Metropolitan
2.64 Goals For (17th)
3.14 Goals Against (25th)
21.3% Power Play (12th)
65.5% Penalty Kill (30th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #14 Adam Henrique ~ 4G 5A = 9pts
2. #17 Michael Ryder ~ 4G 5A = 9pts
3. #68 Jaromir Jagr ~ 2G 7A = 9pts
4. #28 Damon Severson ~ 4G 4A = 8pts
5. #2 Marek Zidlicky ~ 3G 5A = 8pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #24 Bryce Salvador ~ 20 PIM’s
2. #20 Jordin Tootoo ~ 15 PIM’s
3. #68 Jaromir Jagr ~ 12 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #35 Cory Schneider (6-5-2) 2.91GAA .906%SP
2. #1 Keith Kincaid (0-1-0) 2.22GAA .909%SP
Okay Minnesota, it’s time. It’s time to get back on track. Time to turn things around. I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of certain teams playing head games with the Wild. I am tired of the Montreals and Ottawas being able to dictate the flow of the game, which essentially dictates the outcome of the game. I am sick of an embarrassing power play. I miss the confident Minnesota Wild we saw at the beginning of the season. I could handle the state of the power play if Minnesota could find their way back to their strong puck possession game, when they were the ones dictating the flow of the game. However, even with this negative rant, I am still impressed with the number of shots that they’re getting most nights.
Tonight could be a dangerous for Minnesota. They’re heading into New Jersey, facing a desperate team. Like the Wild, the Devils are on a multi-game losing streak. Where Minnesota has lost its last three games, New Jersey has lost their past four games. Both teams are looking (and needing) to get back to their respective games. Based on past history, facing a team on a losing streak is not always the best combination for the Wild. Remember the head games against teams like Montreal and Ottawa? Facing losing teams can be a head game all of their own. In fact, it could almost be more dangerous. New Jersey is not often a team I’m particularly concerned about, but when both teams are in a slump and playing on the road, it’s a mess all its own.
Then there are the stats. On paper, Minnesota is the superior team. With the exception of the power play (and I’ll get to that in a bit), Minnesota should win. Of course we all know, what should happen and what ultimately happens are often two very different things. Both teams are comparable in the goals per game stat, although Minnesota is ahead of New Jersey. Looking back in team history, that’s not something Wild fans are familiar with. That’s definitely a nice change of pace. There is a chance that Minnesota could put on a scoring clinic tonight. New Jersey has one of the worst (25th in the league) goals against per game. It would be nice to see a 4+ goal game tonight for the Wild, and the Devils would be the opponent to get back into their scoring game. Remember the Wild’s abysmal power play (of course, how could you forget)? While we’ve been complaining about the power play, which is 29th in the league, the New Jersey Devils have the worst penalty kill in the league. That kind of rate should be the best way to jump start the power play. Of course while it should happen doesn’t mean it will happen. Minnesota is is one of the teams with the fewest man-advantage opportunities. When you’ve had some of the fewest chances, it’s not a shock that the power play is as bad as it is. However, there’s no excuse for a pathetic 2 goals on the power play. So hopefully we’ll see a change.
I honestly don’t know how this one will turn out. I’m feeling that Minnesota has a good chance, but I’ve been wrong in the past. At the very least, if things go to hell in a handbasket, we don’t have to stay up late.
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