Minnesota Wild (30-10-5) 65pts 1st in the Central
3.31 Goals For Per Game (3rd in the NHL)
2.22 Goals Against Per Game (3rd in the NHL)
21.1% Power Play (12th in the NHL)
83.9% Penalty Kill (6th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #12 Eric Staal ~ 16G 24A = 40pts
2. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 10G 28A = 38pts
3. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 13G 14A = 77pts
4. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 13G 20A = 33pts
5. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 14G 18A = 32pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #7 Chris Stewart ~ 56PIMS
2. #24 Matt Dumba ~ 39PIMs
3. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 24PIMs
Top Goaltenders:
1. #40 Devan Dubnyk ~ (25-8-3) 1.91GAA .935SV%
2. #35 Darcy Kuemper ~ (5-2-2) 3.30GAA .901SV%
Vs.
Nashville Predators (22-17-7) 51pts 3rd in the Central
2.70 Goals For Per Game (14th in the NHL)
2.54 Goals Against Per Game (10th in the NHL)
17.6% Power Play (17th in the NHL)
82.5% Penalty Kill (11th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #92 Ryan Johansen ~ 7G 25A = 32pts
2. #9 Filip Forsberg ~ 12G 17A = 29pts
3. #38 Viktor Arvidsson ~ 11G 17A = 28pts
4. #12 Mike Fisher ~ 12G 25A = 27pts
5. #63 Mike Ribiero ~ 4G 19A = 23pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #51 Austin Watson ~ 58PIMs
2. #12 Mike Fisher ~ 40PIMs
3. #92 Ryan Johansen ~ 32PIMs
Top Goaltenders:
1. #35 Pekka Rinne ~ (17-12-6) 2.35GAA .921SV% 1SO
2. #74 Juuse Saros ~ (5-3-1) 1.44GAA .952SV% 1SO
Lines:
Nashville Predators
Forsberg~Johansen~Arvidsson
Jarnkrok~Ribeiro~Neal
Watson~Fisher~Smith
McLeod~Grant~Zolnierczyk
Ekholm~Subban
Irwin~Ellis
Bitetto~Y. Weber
Rinne
Saros
Minnesota Wild
Niederreiter~Staal~Coyle
Granlund~Koivu~Zucker
Parise~Haula~Schroeder
Stewart~Graovac~Pominville
Suter~Spurgeon
Scandella~Dumba
Reilly~Folin
Dubnyk
Kuemper
If there’s one thing I learned about the Minnesota Wild last night, it’s this. Never count them out. Well at least this season that lesson holds true. My difficulty in believing in this year’s team, comes from numerous previous seasons, where if the opponent gets up a goal or two, you were simply hoping to stop the bleeding and keep it a one or two goal game. History is powerful that way. It has a habit of greatly shading our perspective of things. Plus, when your opponent is the Anaheim Ducks of all teams, it does make it much harder to believe this team can dig itself out of the hole they dug for themselves. I was watching last night’s game from a combination of a bowling alley as well as the comfort of my home. I know I’m not alone in my thinking, that I was sure this game was over when Corey Perry scored Anaheim’s third goal of the night. But it was the Wild’s third period that turned back the tide. Nothing like getting two goals each for two skaters in Erik Haula and Jason Zucker. What was great to see, was players like Zucker looking for opportunities of Anaheim mistakes. However, it was Ryan Suter’s goal which should serve as a reminder for his teammates. That lesson is to take a shot, even those low percentage ones. You don’t often get goals like that one, but when it ends up as the game-winner, it proves that any shot on goal is valid.
So while we’re all feeling a bit over the moon over last night’s win, it’s time to buckle down and focus on today. It’s another back-to-back situation. I’m just glad it’s not a matinee game, especially since last night’s game started an hour later due to Hockey Day Minnesota. It gives the Minnesota players a little time to rest, especially since tonight’s opponent arrived yesterday and got a chance to settle into their hotels. Although, it doesn’t sound like it was all rest and relaxation for Nashville. Per a tweet by Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, he ran into Predators owner, David Poile. The players arrived. Their equipment arrived. However, it sounds like their luggage did not. At least they had time to run out and buy some clean clothes and toothpaste. I don’t know about you, but if I was a hockey team, I’d be glad it was the hockey equipment that arrived with no issue. Remember a few seasons back when the truck that was hauling the Wild’s equipment from the airport in Ottawa caught fire and all of Minnesota’s gear was a loss? That was a mad scramble to purchase equipment at local sporting goods stores and I believe spare equipment (ie goalie pads) and jerseys boarded a flight with another NHL team that was scheduled to play the Senators the next day.
I can’t say I’m exactly thrilled to be playing Nashville right now. They’re another one of those teams that Minnesota isn’t always the most successful against. I wish I knew what it was that causes the Wild to stumble against the Predators. However, we have a better chance of seeing Minnesota play to their full potential tonight even though they played last night as well. We’ve seen this team continually play down to a lesser opponent (can you say New Jersey Devils?). Right now, we’re going to be facing a Predators team who has clawed themselves into the third place spot in the Central Division. Now, I doubt we’ll see them overtake Chicago or Minnesota anytime soon, however they have overtaken Saint Louis in the standings. Now what’s interesting there, is that they’re tied for points with the Blues. And like the battle between Minnesota and Chicago in the standings, Nashville has a game in hand on Saint Louis. While they’re tied with 51 points, it’s that game in hand which has the Predators in the third spot place. I would expect Nashville to come out with everything they’ve got, hoping to take advantage of a tired Minnesota squad, in order to further solidify their spot in the standings. Of course, I’m hoping that the tired Minnesota squad finds their second wind, and tries to put more distance between them and Chicago, a team facing Vancouver today. Eventually those multiple games in hand that the Wild have on Chicago will be no more, so if they can create that points cushion now it will only help them in the long run.
Hockey players are suspicious people. Hopefully the loss of the Predators’ luggage spooks them a bit. Who knows where Mr. Carrie Underwood’s, um I mean, Mike Fisher’s lucky socks and tie went? Perhaps they took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.
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