Minnesota Wild (31-11-5) 67pts 1st in the Central
3.26 Goals For Per Game (4th in the NHL)
2.26 Goals Against Per Game (2nd in the NHL)
21.1% Power Play (11th in the NHL)
84% Penalty Kill (6th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #12 Eric Staal ~ 16G 24A = 40pts
2. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 11G 29A = 40pts
3. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 13G 24A = 37pts
4. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 14G 20A = 34pts
5. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 14G 19A = 33pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #7 Chris Stewart ~ 56 PIM’s
2. #24 Mathew Dumba ~ 39 PIM’s
3. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 26 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #40 Devan Dubnyk (26-8-3) 1.91GAA .935%SP 5SO
2. #35 Darcy Kuemper (5-3-2) 3.28GAA .901%SP
Vs.
St. Louis Blues (24-19-5) 53pts 4th in the Central
2.83 Goals For Per Game (10th in the NHL)
3.04 Goals Against Per Game (25th in the NHL)
22.5% Power Play (6th in the NHL)
83.6% Penalty Kill (7th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #91 Vladimir Tarasenko ~ 20G 26A = 46pts
2. #22 Kevin Shattenkirk ~ 11G 22A = 33pts
3. #20 Alexander Steen ~ 8G 23A = 31pts
4. #17 Jaden Schwartz ~ 13G 17A = 30pts
5. #26 Paul Stastny ~ 12G 16A = 28pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #75 Ryan Reaves ~ 50 PIM’s
2. #57 David Perron ~ 40 PIM’s
3. #6 Joel Edmundson ~ 39 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #34 Jake Allen (17-12-3) 2.85GAA .897%SP 1SO
1. #40 Carter Hutton (7-6-2) 2.63GAA .901%SP 2SO
2. #30 Pheonix Copley (0-1-0) 5.09GAA .828%SP
Lines:
St. Louis Blues
Schwartz~Stastny~Steen
Fabbri~Berglund~Tarasenko
Jaskin~Lehtera~Perron
Upshall~Brodziak~Reaves
Gunnarsson~Pietrangelo
Bortuzzo~Shattenkirk
Edmonson~Parayko
Allen
Hutton
Copley
Minnesota Wild
Niederreiter~Staal~Coyle
Zucker~Koivu~Granlund
Parise~Haula~Pominville
Stewart~Graovac~Schroeder
Suter~Spurgeon
Scandella~Dumba
Prosser / Folin~Reilly
Dubnyk
Kuemper
Good grief. I can’t believe I have to talk about this again. No, we’re not talking about a slump. Or an ill-timed losing streak. However, the issue I’m talking about could easily lead to a losing streak. And considering how often this has been happening, it is a slump of sorts. It seems a bit odd that a slump can happen when Minnesota is still winning games on a regular basis and keeping them at the top of the Central Division and Western Conference. If you’ve been living in an isolated cave and have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s the Wild’s habit right now of giving up a two (or more) goal lead. Now while I’m happy this trend hasn’t dragged them down in the standings, it’s getting a bit old. And yes I’m glad they continue to find a way to fight back. The concern though is how long this can continue. There will come a time where continually giving up a lead will ultimately cost them. Of course the worst place that could happen would be the playoffs, where four losses in a round, and you’re hitting the golf course.
Now while I (and most fans) are a concerned about this habit, it seems to not have effected the opinion of the team around the league. This morning, I found the NHL Power Rankings at NHL.com. As the Wild have continued to win, their ranking in the top 16 teams in the league has continued to rise. While it’s taken some time, especially considering their amazing December, the Minnesota Wild are now ranked at #2. Considering the league’s definite Eastern Conference bias, it’s nice to finally seem some significant recognition. Currently, the Washington Capitals are sitting in the top spot. Other Eastern teams that have possessed that top spot are Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Columbus. I’m not shocked that the writers would put teams like Washington, Pittsburgh, and Montreal in first place, however the fact that Columbus has also been there is reassuring. As an expansion team, it’s often hard to garner legitimate respect in the league. While I’m not a fan of Columbus as a whole, I would have been more upset had they not had the number one honor. The run they had at the same time Minnesota had their phenomenal run, was worthy of being recognized. Of course the Blue Jackets have the added benefit of being in the Eastern Conference. Being in the Western Conference, I feel like all the non-Western Conference hockey writers notice is the record. If you don’t believe me, just check out this past Saturday’s episode of “Coach’s Corner” on CBC’s broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada. You can start around the 3:20 mark of the video:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWeKOHJIW2U]
Only a person clueless about what’s happening in the Western Conference would say something like “they (the Minnesota Wild) need all the help they can get” after Jared Spurgeon’s goal against New Jersey. Very few people would ever utter the word “need all the help they can get” when talking about a team that sits atop their respective division and conference. It’s beyond obvious that Cherry hasn’t perused the Western Conference standings or looked at the stats. Yep, the team with the fourth best goals per game in the league “needs help.”
When it comes to tonight’s game in St. Louis, I have a feeling that many are worried if the team will be focused. This is the last game before the All-Star break. In past seasons, it felt like the players would, at best, go through the motions for this game. Since few Minnesota players ever take part in an All-Star game, many are thinking of the time off. This is the time to work on honey-do lists like Jason Zucker’s wife have posted on Twitter. Or go on a vacation to a tropical locale. Players with young children, are probably looking forward to some family time. In past seasons, this last game, it has been obvious that they’ve checked out. However, players like Charlie Coyle have stated that the team is still focused on tonight. Coyle realizes that the two points on the line tonight are important. Yeah, it’s just two points, but even now, those two points have playoff implications. Once you hit that spot where you lead your division, you want to keep that spot in order to get the home ice advantage.
We should know within the first five minutes if we have a focused team or a team already on vacation. But then even if they go up two goals, it will still be hard to tell which team has come to play. We’ll know which team is playing if/when they find their backs up against a wall.
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