Minnesota Wild (15-11-3) 33pts 5th in the Central
2.96 Goals For Per Game (14th in the NHL)
2.96 Goals Against Per Game (17th in the NHL)
22.3% Power Play (5th in the NHL)
81.8% Penalty Kill (13th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #12 Eric Staal ~ 12G 14A = 26pts
2. #16 Jason Zucker ~ 14G 11A = 25pts
3. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 6G 13A = 19pts
4. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 4G 12A = 16pts
5. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 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 (3-3-0-1) 3.09GAA .905%SP
Vs.
Calgary Flames (16-12-2) 34pts 4th in the Pacific
2.86 Goals For Per Game (19th in the NHL)
3.1 Goals Against Per Game (20th in the NHL)
19.4% Power Play (14th in the NHL)
76.5% Penalty Kill (28th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #13 Johnny Gaudreau ~ 12G 25A = 37pts
2. #23 Sean Monahan ~ 17G 13A = 30pts
3. #11 Mikael Backlund ~ 7G 12A = 19pts
4. #19 Matthew Tkachuk ~ 7G 12A = 19pts
5. #79 Michael Ferland ~ 11G 5A = 16pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #24 Travis Hamonic ~ 38 PIM’s
2. #19 Matthew Tkachuk ~ 29 PIM’s
3. #11 Mikael Backlund ~ 28 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #41 Mike Smith (13-9-0-2) 2.68GAA .918%SP 2SO
2. #33 David Rittich (2-1-0-0) 2.56GAA .913%SP
Lines:
Calgary Flames
Gaudreau~Monahan~Ferland
Tkachuk~Backlund~Frolik
Bennett~Jankowski~Hathaway
Brouwer~Stajan~Lazar
Giordano~Hamilton
Brodie~Hamonic
Kulak~Stone
Smith
Rittich
Minnesota Wild
Zucker~Koivu~Coyle
Niederreiter~Staal~Granlund
Ennis~Eriksson Ek~Stewart
Foligno~Cullen~Mitchell
Suter~Dumba
Brodin~Murphy
Reilly~Prosser
Dubnyk
Stalock
I remember 20+ years ago, after the Minnesota North Stars left for Dallas, rumors swirled about other clubs that may move to the Twin Cities. Some remember the team flirting with the Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and even the Hartford Whalers. Heck I even remember being hopeful for one of those clubs to come falling onto our lap. But few recall that the Edmonton Oilers talked about a possible move to Minnesota when then owner Peter Pocklington discussed moving the team but it was merely posturing to try to get Alberta to give the club more money. Perhaps surprisingly, Calgary is going through its own set of tawdry rumors about relocation. The rumors have been an unpleasant distraction to what has been a decent season.
The Calgary Flames were determined not to be an also ran again this season, so they doubled down and brought in another quality defenseman for their Top 4 in Travis Hamonic. Hamonic’s addition makes an already good defense into arguably one of the deepest bluelines in the NHL. Mark Giordano is one of the best two-way defenseman in the league and Dougie Hamilton and skilled puck mover T.J. Brodie are not that far off. Yet as a group they haven’t produced offensively like they have in year’s past.
Up front, they got what they wanted with crackdown on slashes after a video that featured the Minnesota Wild’s game against Calgary and particularly Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are still the Flames’ 1-2 punch offensively. The trick is whether the team has enough secondary scoring from Mikael Backlund, Sam Bennett and whether Matthew Tkachuk can stay out of the penalty box. The Flames core is fairly young and one could argue they are only bound to get better. Will the Flames play ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr?
Between the pipes, Mike Smith has been just good enough to deliver what Brian Elliott couldn’t do a season ago. Smith is the Flames workhorse and I would guess he’ll get the start against the Wild tonight. Minnesota will probably give Devan Dubnyk the start who should be fairly well-rested after watching Alex Stalock‘s solid performance from the bench on Sunday against the Sharks.
With a 3-1 lead going into the 3rd period against the San Jose the Minnesota Wild seemed to be in good shape for a victory but a parade to the penalty box would unravel that confidence pretty quickly. A power play goal by Burns and then another goal in the latter half of the period and the Wild now were tied. Fortunately for Minnesota, they’ve figured out a workable strategy for overtime. Patiently cycling the puck and wait for a small lapse in effort and then attack. Tough to argue with back-to-back overtime victories, but with all kidding aside its good to seeing the Wild playing with a viable strategy. I have little doubt the team would like to avoid giving up any more extra points to potential clubs that they may be fighting for playoff position against like Calgary could very well be.
The team’s young core is carrying the majority of the scoring load recently with Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Mathew Dumba and Nino Niederreiter heating up. Eric Staal had two goals in his last game and is the only older veteran to really be leading the way offensively. Mikko Koivu is stone cold and despite some prime opportunities to light the lamp he’s been shooting right into the goaltenders crest instead.
Defensively the team has witnessed marked improvement with the return of Nate Prosser which seems to have to have helped stabilize the bottom pairing. Another defenseman that has gone through a bit of a renaissance has been Mathew Dumba who has been less mistake prone and has managed to chip in offensively too. Ryan Murphy has been also providing solid minutes and has steadily been gaining more and more trust from Wild Head Coach Bruce Boudreau. It will be interesting to see if he gives Gustav Olofsson or Mike Reilly the last spot against a physical squad like the Flames.
So what are the keys to beating the Calgary Flames?
- Don’t get caught up in the afterwhistle antics ~ Glen Gulutzan‘s teams have always seemed to like the after the whistle scrums and other little acts of intimidation. The Wild can’t get caught into trying to trade hit for hit with the Flames. Minnesota would be best-served to just play hockey and play as fast a game as they can.
- Shutdown #13 & #23 ~ The Flames offense gets most of its momentum from Gaudreau and Monahan. If the Wild can shut them down, the Flames will have a far tougher time earning a victory tonight. Gaudreau is especially slippery and the Wild must avoid giving the Flames opportunities on the man advantage.
- Get off to a fast start ~ the Wild have home ice and should have a bit of a boost with the home crowd. Minnesota has seen how an early lead can be helpful.
What do you think will be important for a Wild victory this evening? Tell us what you think on Twitter @CreaseAndAssist or in the comment section below!
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