Minnesota Wild (7-5-1) 15pts 4th in the Central
3.00 Goals For per game (8th in the NHL)
2.08 Goals Against per game (2nd in the NHL)
15.4% Power Play (19th in the NHL)
86.8% Penalty Kill (5th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #12 Eric Staal ~ 5G 7A = 12pts
2. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 3G 8A = 11pts
3. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 4G 6A = 10pts
4. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 4G 4A = 8pts
5. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 3G 4A = 7pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #7 Chris Stewart ~ 19 PIM’s
2. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 18 PIM’s
3. #5 Christian Folin ~ 8 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #40 Devan Dubnyk (6-4-1) 1.65GAA .947%SP 3SO
2. #35 Darcy Kuemper (1-1-0) 4.00GAA .871%SP
Vs.
Ottawa Senators (9-5-0) 18pts 2nd in the Atlantic
2.29 Goals For per game (27th in the NHL)
2.36 Goals Against per game (7th in the NHL)
10.3% Power Play (28th in the NHL)
85.4% Penalty Kill (8th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #65 Erik Karlsson ~ 3G 9A = 12pts
2. #18 Ryan Dzingel ~ 5G 4A = 9pts
3. #7 Kyle Turris ~ 6G 2A = 8pts
4. #68 Mike Hoffman ~ 3G 4A = 7pts
5. #9 Bobby Ryan ~ 3G 3A = 6pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #74 Mark Borowiecki ~ 21 PIM’s
2. #15 Zack Smith ~ 21 PIM’s
3. #3 Dion Phanuef ~ 19 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #41 Craig Anderson (7-3-0) 2.18GAA .931%SP 2SO
2. #1 Mike Condon (2-0-0) .48GAA .983%SP 1SO
Well this should be interesting.
So this road trip is showing us many things. Some things many of us never thought we’d see. We got to see a successful team after a long break. We saw a much more average Wild team last night against a so-so team. And now today, we get to see how the Wild will handle themselves in a back-to-back situation on the road. Now last night wasn’t horrid, it just wasn’t as focussed as Thursday night. My guess is that the roster knew they had to play their absolute best in Pittsburgh. There was no other alternative. And since they played their best, they probably figured “oh well, we can probably relax a little bit because Sunday we’re going to need to be super focussed again.” That would be the next bad habit I’d like to see Bruce Boudreau address with this team. There is no game and no team that can be taken lately. Even better, I’m hoping Boudreau can figure out the mental game that prevents this team from playing their best at ScotiaBank Place. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the Senators are each season, that building is one in which the Wild continually lay the proverbial egg. And no, I’m not talking about the giant, golden egg from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
My guess is we’ll see Darcy Kuemper in net today. First, because Devan Dubnyk played last night and Thursday night as well. But more importantly, it’s long overdue for Kuemper to prove he’s an NHL goaltender who can safely start games. I highly doubt he’ll ever be a #1 on an NHL team, but he needs to figure out what’s keeping him from being a reliable backup. Teams that plan on going deep into the playoffs need to be able to depend on both of their goaltenders, not just the main guy. That guy needs nights off from time to time, whether it be due to illness or a pulled muscle or a more severe injury. Plus, you need to give that guy a night off from time to time in order to prevent a more severe injury. The #1 guy, at least you hope, isn’t going to need to be pulled frequently, but it does happen. You need to know that you’re in safe hands when the other guy gets either the start or in relief. As of now, we don’t really have that with Kuemper. I don’t know if it’s a head game for Kuemper or if he really doesn’t have the talent or capability. Yet another thing for Boudreau to attempt to figure out along with long-time goaltending coach, Bob Mason.
Poor Bruce, I keep coming up with tasks for him to solve. But then, this is why he was brought in. Someone had to come in and figure out what the heck was holding this team back. General Manager Chuck Fletcher had no choice this time when it came to a coaching hiring, or he too might have been looking for a new job. Game by game, I know I’m seeing improvements. I know I would have loved to have been a fly in the wall when Boudreau talks to Ryan Suter. He is a much different player this season. Of course having one’s ice time better managed and utilized is key and it has been paying off. Now if someone could just figure why Suter seems to push the puck more than to shoot or pass it with some authority, that would be nice. Suter is still going to put up big numbers on the blueline, but we need to see a little more fire on that puck as it leaves his stick.
And like I said, this should be an interesting game.
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