| Record | Pts | Div. Rank | G/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | |
| Minnesota Wild | (24-19-5) | 53 | 3rd NW | 2.62 (20) | 2.67 (11) | 21.4%(6) |
82.7% (11) |
| Chicago Blackhawks |
(26-19-4) | 56 | 3rd Central | 3.10 (5) | 2.71 (13) | 25.2% (1) | 78.0% (26) |
| Minnesota Wild | |||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #24 Martin Havlet | 13 | 30 | 43 |
| 2. #9 Mikko Koivu | 14 | 28 | 42 |
| 3. #8 Brent Burns | 14 | 17 | 31 |
| 4. #7 Matt Cullen | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| 5. #15 Andrew Brunette | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #16 Brad Staubitz | 87 | ||
| 2. #8 Brent Burns | 62 | ||
| 3. #4 Clayton Stoner | 32 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (13-10-3) | 2.58 | .919 | |
| 2. #60 Jose Theodore (8-7-2) | 2.66 | .913 | |
| 3. #35Anton Khudobin (2-1-0) | 1.59 | .942 | |
Chicago Blackhawks |
|||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #10 Patrick Sharp | 25 | 20 | 45 |
| 2. #19 Jonathan Toews | 17 | 21 | 38 |
| 3. #88 Patrick Kane | 13 | 23 | 36 |
| 4. #82 Tomas Kopecky | 10 | 21 | 31 |
| 5. #2 Duncan Keith | 3 | 25 | 28 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #28 Jake Dowell | 52 | ||
| 2. #32 John Scott | 45 | ||
| 3. #82 Tomas Kopecky | 42 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #50 Corey Crawford (16-9-2) | 2.12 | .922 | |
| 2. #30 Marty Turco (10-10-2) | 3.02 | .898 | |
It seems that there are several interesting stories coming out of Chicago today, both directly and indirectly involving the Wild. Some are more readily verifiable, while others are more of the rumor/gossip variety. Just as in real life, rumors are usually far more interesting than the truth.
The rumor variety seem to be swirling around the upcoming All-Star Game. The changes regarding the roster started last week when it was announced that the Flames’ Jarome Iginla has asked the league to be absent from the event. Iginla felt he needed to spend that time with his ailing grandmother. One has to commend Iginla on putting his family first over a meaningless game. In Iginla’s place will be the Flyers’ Daniel Briere. However, the roster changes don’t stop there. Lately, there have been a plethora of injuries to star players around the league. Of course the most notable is that of the NHL’s poster child and/or messiah, Sidney Crosby with concussion-like symptoms. And now, Crosby’s teammate, Evgeni Malkin will also be sitting out the weekend. Missing as well from the festivities will be the Oilers’ Ales Hemsky as well as Atlanta’s Tobias Enstrom. With four more players out, the league is now having to figure out who to put in there place. What does that have to do with the Wild? Well it is rumored that the league has inquired on the availability of Minnesota’s Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu. Currently, Havlat leads the Wild in points and Koivu is in a three-way tie with Cal Clutterbuck and All-Star Brent Burns for the most goals on the team. With three of the four injured players being forwards, it’s not out of the question for there being a possibility of an additional Wild player heading to the All-Star Game. Plus, with the play of the Wild as of late, it’s not a surprise that Havlat and Koivu are being considered.
Of the more verifiable stories, is the possibility that the Wild will face two fewer potent Blackhawks tonight. In a story on NHL.com this morning, both Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa missed the morning skate. Of the two, only Hossa is truly questionable for the night as it seems as he is battling some sort of illness. It seems he wasn’t feeling good this morning, and it all depends on how he feels closer to game time. As for Toews, he is expected to dress tonight, however it is doubtful that he will play anywhere close to his normal 100%. Toews has been dealing with some sort of unspecified lower body injury. With that in mind, the Wild will need to take advantage of having Toews not at his best. They need to put extra pressure on him (without going “head hunting) as well as put pressure on the Chicago goaltender. The Wild aren’t known for exerting all sorts of offensive pressure nor getting lots of shots on goal. Tonight is one of those games, where the outcome is in the hands of the Wild players.
Tonight is one more game towards the 1000 game mark for one member of the Minnesota Wild. For Wild forward, Andrew Brunette will be skating in game number 999. I’m sure if you asked most people when Brunette skated in his first game, if he’d make it to 1,000 NHL games played, I doubt many of them would have said yes. He’s a player that possesses little speed, and in this “new” NHL, speed is important. However, what he lacks in speed, he makes up for in hard work, determination, and often being able to score the clutch goal. Wild fans of course will always remember his Game 7 game winner that ended the career of Colorado goaltender, Patrick Roy. Over the course of his almost 1,000 game career, he has clearly earned the respect of his teammates (both former and current) and opponents. For example, during last weeks game in Calgary, I know I remember Ray Ferraro, speaking highly of his former teammate while they played in Atlanta. It’s one thing to hear current teammates to give glowing praise on someone, but it’s even better when those comments from from former teammates and opponents. Whatever Brunette has done to make it this far, we can only hope that he continues to do it for some time.
So while the news is interesting and exciting, the only news that Wild fans want to hear tonight is that of a Wild win.
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