Minnesota Wild (6-3-0) 12pts 3rd in the Central
3.33 Goals For (4th)
1.89 Goals Against (3rd)
0% Power Play (30th)
87.5% Penalty Kill (4th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #11 Zach Parise ~ 4G 4A = 8pts
2. #16 Jason Zucker ~ 5G 2A = 7pts
3. #26 Thomas Vanek ~ 0G 7A = 7pts
4. #29 Jason Pominville ~ 3G 3A = 6pts
5. #46 Jared Spurgeon ~ 2G 4A = 6pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #11 Zach Parise ~ 17 PIM’s
2. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 10 PIM’s
3. #18 Ryan Carter ~ 10 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #35 Darcy Kuemper (5-2-0) 1.71GAA .927%SP 3SO
2. #32 Niklas Backstrom (1-1-0) 2.52GAA .886%SP
Vs.
Dallas Stars (4-2-4) 12pts 4th in the Central
3.20 Goals For (6th)
3.40 Goals Against (26th)
21.0% Power Play (11th)
80.6% Penalty Kill (16th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #91 Tyler Seguin ~ 7G 8A = 15pts
2. #90 Jason Spezza ~ 2G 10A = 12pts
3. #14 Jamie Benn ~ 5G 6A = 11pts
4. #6 Trevor Daley ~ 4G 5A = 9pts
5. #33 Alex Goligoski ~ 0G 7A = 7pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #60 Antoine Roussel ~ 27 PIM’s
2. #14 Jamie Benn ~ 11 PIM’s
3. #4 Brendan Dillon ~ 10 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #32 Kari Lehtonen (4-0-4) 2.78GAA .908%SP
2. #29 Anders Lindback (0-2-0) 4.58GAA .850%SP
Today is one of those “I have good news and I have bad news” kind of days. So far, we’ve had a lot of good news in that the Wild for the most part (ignore the Rangers game) have been scoring and playing well. Those two things have earned them six wins in nine games. There have been some growing pains mixed in there, like giving up five goals after being up 3-0 in New York. While it took a shootout to do it, getting a win against San Jose early in the season is definitely a step in the right direction. Even the losses in Los Angeles and Anaheim were good games. Getting a win against Dallas early in the season would also be a feather in the cap of a Wild team that is determined to improve on last season’s performance. Strangely enough, if you pull up the standings, it is once again Minnesota and Dallas jockeying for those last two spots in the Western Conference. If the playoffs were to start today, it would be Minnesota in the final spot and Dallas on the outside looking in. So while Minnesota has been playing well, they need to improve even more. But then here comes the good news and bad news.
When people are told there is good news and bad news, they usually start with the bad news. Injuries, while never kind, are definitely putting Minnesota in a bad spot. However, if you’re a Columbus Blue Jackets fan, you would kill to have our injury problems. They’re pretty much playing their minor league team. But this isn’t about our expansion brethren. It has been announced that Jared Spurgeon has been put on IR for a shoulder injury. While I’m not a big fan of Spurgeon, I trust him far more on the blue line than I do Matt Dumba. Because of Spurgeon’s injury, he will play tonight and will pick up some of Spurgeon’s minutes. If ever there was a player than needed time in the minors it would be Dumba. Also adding to the absences due to injury, would be Ryan Carter and Matt Cooke. They have not been added to the IR list, but their absence will be felt. Add to that bad news, that not only has Thomas Vanek not scored yet, but he’s under the microscope for reasons other than his play on the ice. Seems he had a $1-million gambling debt. According to reports, he was betting on football games. Not only did he bet poorly, he became a prime witness in a federal money laundering scheme. The spotlight came when Vanek signed over a large paycheck from the New York Islanders to his bookie. There is no indication however that he has bet on hockey games, which would clearly violate the collective bargaining agreement. Seriously Thomas, that money you earn was paid to you by fans and investors. If you can’t spend your money more wisely, there are poor fans you could just give it to. Trust me, we’d use it for smarter things like mortgage, rent, electricity bills.
Have you had enough bad news? I know I have. So, let’s move on to happier topics. Remember those injuries? Well we’re most likely getting some key players back tonight. First off, there’s a good chance that Jonas Brodin will be in the lineup tonight. If you remember, he was taken out by a dirty hit by Chris Kreider in New York. Somehow that hit did not garner supplementary discipline. Since that hit, Kreider has even admitted that he’s not going to change his game. Trust me people, we are going to see more garbage from that guy. However, if Brodin is not ready (he’s a game time decision), the Wild have recalled Jonathan Blum from Iowa. Heck, if Brodin is ready to play, I’d rather play Blum over Dumba. Other players that might be back are Christian Folin and Erik Haula. With the injuries to the blueline, having Folin back will definitely provide some breathing room. However the player I am most excited to get back is Haula. He was taken out of commission by the Rangers’ John Moore who is currently serving a five-game suspension for targeting the head. As a repeat and recent offender, Moore should have gotten more games if you ask me. Watching the San Jose game, when all the lines were different due to injuries, you definitely saw a lack of some chemistry. We also were missing some speed. Getting Haula back, especially against the Stars, will be huge win.
With the Stars in town, Minnesota definitely needs to come out strong. They need to score and score early. While the Stars can score, it appears on the stat sheet that they have a harder time preventing goals. Minnesota will need to solve Kari Lehtonen who will be starting in goal. Lehtonen is a good goalie, and the Wild are going to need to continue their trend of peppering the goalie with shots. Now, it would have been great if Dallas had decided to start Anders Lindback but we’re not that fortunate. Of course if Lehtonen pulls something during the game or gets four goals in a period scored on him, we just might see Lindback. However I doubt either of those will happen. I think the bigger key to tonight’s game will be the Wild preventing the Stars from scoring. They have a lineup that can score. Darcy Kuemper was having a hard time finding his angles against the Sharks. If Kuemper is starting, I just hope he looks like the Kuemper we’ve seen during his three shutouts. If Niklas Backstrom starts, I just hope he doesn’t look as slow as he has in the games that he’s played.
All I ask for is good news for the Minnesota Wild when the final horn blows. No more injuries and a win. Is that too much to ask for?
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