Minnesota Wild (18-9-5) 41pts 3rd in the Central
2.31 Goals For (23rd)
2.22 Goals Against (4th)
20.4% Power Play (8th)
78.8% Penalty Kill (25th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #11 Zach Parise ~ 14G 12A = 26pts
2. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 7G 17A = 24pts
3. #29 Jason Pominville ~ 14G 7A = 21pts
4. #22 Nino Niedereiter ~ 5G 10A = 15pts
5. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 0G 15A = 15pts
Top 3 PIM's:
1. #28 Zenon Konopka ~ 37 PIM's
2. #4 Clayton Stoner ~ 33 PIM's
3. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 20 PIM's
Top Goaltenders:
1. #37 Josh Harding (16-4-3) 1.50GAA .938%SP 3SO
2. #32 Niklas Backstrom (2-4-2) 2.91GAA .897%SP
Vs.
Anaheim Ducks (20-7-5) 45pts 1st in the Pacific
3.09 Goals For (4th)
2.50 Goals Against (11th)
16.7% Power Play (18th)
81.3% Penalty Kill (20th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #15 Ryan Getzlaf ~ 16G 20A = 36pts
2. #10 Corey Perry ~ 18G 15A = 33pts
3. #17 Dustin Penner ~ 9G 14A = 23pts
4. #13 Nick Bonino ~ 8G 14A = 22pts
5. #4 Cam Fowler ~ 2G 14A = 16pts
Top 3 PIM's:
1. #55 Bryan Allen ~ 34 PIM's
2. #10 Corey Perry ~ 30 PIM's
3. #62 Patrick Maroon ~ 28 PIM's
Top Goaltenders:
1. #1 Jonas Hiller (10-4-4) 2.60GAA .910%SP 2SO
2. #31 Frederik Andersen (8-1-0) 1.74GAA .938%SP
3. #30 Viktor Fasth (2-2-1) 2.95GAA .885%SP
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Today feels like the first real day of the hockey season where there's some sacrifice on the part of the fans involved. And what I mean by that, is that tonight is the first of the ridiculously late start times. Welcome to the late night game. I've complained in the past, but it's bad enough when a game is on the West Coast with a 9:00pm start time, but when you play in Anaheim, you start an additional half hour later. All I know, is that I just hope that the game ends in regulation, with no major injuries or equipment failures (broken plexi, time clocks, etc). At the very least, we don't have to worry about a snowstorm delaying things. So grab your double or triple espresso, because you're going to need it.
Not only will our eyes be a little droopy by the time the second period starts, we're going to have to adjust to new lines. The most noticeable change will be the second line. With the recall of Jason Zucker yet again, he will be on the second line with Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter. With all three linemates at the same young age of 21, it's one of the youngest lines in the NHL. With Zucker on the second line, this means some obvious changes to the third and fourth lines. I can think of quite a few fans that will be beyond pleased to see Dany Heatley on the fourth line with Zenon Konopka and Justin Fontaine. Personally, I feel bad for Fontaine being teamed with those two. Hopefully he can find a way to make a difference for the team in the limited ice time he'll probably have tonight.
I don't know if the line changes will help shake things up. I'd like to be optimistic and hope that it does. A road game, and a road game against one of the better teams in the league is critical. I hate to bring back bad memories, but the recent game in Columbus still makes me worried to head out on the road. In fact, if I had in say with how this team operates, I would have that game played on a continuous loop in the lockerroom (both in St. Paul and whatever city the team finds them in). Some people need to be continually reminded of their mistakes. And that Columbus game is the kind of mistake that the Wild cannot afford to make again. The Wild are going to have to come out on the ice with their heads screwed on straight and well-rested with plenty of energy from the minute the puck drops. The first five minutes most likely will tell us which team we get tonight.
If you can, take a nap when you get home from work. It's going to be a long night, both literally and figuratively.
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