Minnesota Wild (14-11-3) 31pts 5th in the Central
2.92 Goals For Per Game (18th in the NHL)
2.96 Goals Against Per Game (16th in the NHL)
21.9% Power Play (5th in the NHL)
82.5% Penalty Kill (10th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #16 Jason Zucker ~ 14G 10A = 24pts
2. #12 Eric Staal ~ 10G 13A = 23pts
3. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 6G 11A = 17pts
4. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 4G 11A = 15pts
5. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 4G 11A = 15pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 20 PIM’s
2. #10 Chris Stewart ~ 20 PIM’s
3. #12 Eric Staal ~ 18 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #40 Devan Dubnyk (12-8-0-2) 2.73GAA .914%SP 3SO
2. #32 Alex Stalock (2-3-0-1) 3.13GAA .904%SP
Vs.
San Jose Sharks (16-10-2) 34pts 3rd in the Pacific
2.67 Goals For Per Game (28th in the NHL)
2.28 Goals For Per Game (2nd in the NHL)
19.1% Power Play (17th in the NHL)
87.2% Penalty Kill (2nd in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #39 Logan Couture ~ 15G 10A = 25pts
2. #19 Joe Thornton ~ 5G 15A = 20pts
3. #48 Tomas Hertl ~ 6G 10A = 16pts
4. #8 Joe Pavelski ~ 6G 10A = 16pts
5. #88 Brent Burns ~ 2G 14A = 16pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #19 Joe Thornton ~ 31 PIM’s
2. #28 Timo Meier ~ 27 PIM’s
3. #8 Joe Pavelski ~ 25 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #31 Martin Jones (11-7-0-1) 2.41GAA .919%SP 2SO
2. #30 Aaron Dell (5-3-0-1) 1.72GAA .939%SP 2SO
Lines:
San Jose Sharks
Meier~Thornton~Pavelski
Hertl~Couture~Karlsson
Hansen~Tierney~Labanc
Sorensen~Goodrow~Ward
Martin~Burns
Vlasic~Braun
Ryan~DeMelo
Jones
Dell
Minnesota Wild
Zucker~Koivu~Coyle
Niederreiter~Staal~Granlund
Ennis~Eriksson Ek~Stewart
Foligno~Cullen~Mitchell
Suter~Dumba
Brodin~Murphy
Reilly~Prosser
Dubnyk
Stalock
I just got back from shoveling my driveway for the first time this year. I know, some of you have shoveled their driveway a few times this year already and its simply a sign that winter has finally ‘arrived’ where I live. The Minnesota Wild wrap up their 3-game California road trip with tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks. In a way the last few weeks facing quality clubs each night have sort of been the Wild’s wake up call that the time to raise their game and get focused is now.
The San Jose Sharks are a team whose ‘window’ for a Stanley Cup has been open for a while. The Sharks came ‘oh so close’ in 2016 before being dismantled by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some of that core from that Stanley Cup contending team is still intact, but they have started a steady if subtle transformation the last season and half. Gone is Patrick Marleau, too expensive to keep in free agency as he left for Toronto and younger players are being given the chance to showcase their talents along side the team’s veteran core.
Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Melker Karlsson now populate the Sharks Top 6 and it has been an adjustment. The Sharks offense is fairly modest, but they are one of the best defensive clubs in the NHL which means they don’t need a lot of scoring in order to win games. 38-year old Joe Thornton was kept around after signing a 1-year, $8,000,000 deal this summer and he is still one of the better playmakers in the league. The challenge for the Sharks is finding scoring beyond its Top 6 where it has a mix of young, fast grinding forwards and a cagey veteran in Joel Ward patrolling on the 4th line.
Brent Burns, Paul Martin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun are an unheralded top 4, but they are a good mix of solid positioning, mobility and skill. The former Minnesota Wild 1st round pick, Burns is having a slow start offensively by his own lofty standards the last few seasons, but he’s one of the most athletically gifted players in the league. This group is a major reason the Sharks are among the top penalty kill units in the league.
Aaron Dell started last night for the Sharks, where he stopped all 25 shots he faced in San Jose’s 5-0 win over Ottawa. That would likely mean the Wild sees the Sharks ace, Martin Jones, between the pipes tonight. The Wild have had reasonable success against Jones in the past, and its unclear whether Minnesota will give Devan Dubnyk the start or Alex Stalock who once played for the Sharks for a few seasons. From a story line perspective, giving Stalock the start adds a little more buzz to the game but the Wild are trying to establish some consistency and with a day off since their Anaheim game Dubnyk should also be ready to play.
The Wild are coming off a 3-2 overtime win against the Ducks on Friday which was a nice jolt of confidence after a late-game collapse on Tuesday against the Kings. Offensively, the team’s younger core seems to be picking up the pace with Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Mathew Dumba and Jason Zucker finding themselves on the scoresheet on a more frequent basis. That helps offset the cold streak Eric Staal and especially team captain Mikko Koivu have been on in the last 10-15 games. Tyler Ennis and Zack Mitchell have been playing well in a bottom 6 role.
Defensively the team has seen improvement since it jettisoned Kyle Quincey from the lineup and brought in Nate Prosser via waivers. Prosser has provided the Wild blueline with some much-needed sandpaper and a willingness to block shots. So far the woefully weak Gustav Olofsson has been the odd-man out as Ryan Murphy has been pretty solid as well since being called up from Iowa. Mathew Dumba has been playing better and has been rewarded with more ice time as he steps up into the role vacated by Jared Spurgeon who is still out with illness officially although many believe its some kind of lower body injury.
What are the keys to the Wild earning a victory this evening?
- Play tough near the paint – The Sharks are a team that like to crash the crease and cause havoc. The Wild have to be tough and physical near the blue paint. Against the Ducks, they let Anaheim set up a screen way too easily. That can’t happen tonight and the Wild must help their goalie see the puck and give him time to cover up any rebounds he may give up.
- Keep your feet moving, motor through checks – The Sharks like being physical as opposing clubs enter their zone. The Wild cannot stand and look at the official and hope for a call when the Sharks try to stand them up as they cross the San Jose blueline. They must lower their shoulders and keep their feet moving and force the Sharks to hook or hold to slow them down. The Sharks do have a good penalty kill, but they’re also on the 2nd game of a back to back and now is a good time to wear them down.
- Activate the defense – the Wild have had some recent success as defenseman have moved in from the point and not only held the zone but acted as an extra attacker. Dumba, Murphy and Mike Reilly are very capable of being elusive and sneaky in the offensive zone and that might be key to sparking the Wild’s offense this evening.
What are your thoughts about tonight’s game? Tell us what you think either in the comment section below or on Twitter @CreaseAndAssist. Hope to hear from you soon!
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