Minnesota Wild (2-2-2) 6pts 7th in the Central
3.67 Goals For Per Game (4th in the NHL)
3.50 Goals Against Per Game (24th in the NHL)
33.3% Power Play (1st in the NHL)
74.1% Penalty Kill (26th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #10 Chris Stewart ~ 6G 2A = 8pts
2. #16 Jason Zucker ~ 2G 4A = 6pts
3. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 1G 5A = 6pts
4. #12 Eric Staal ~ 3G 2A = 5pts
5. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 3G 2A = 5pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 10 PIM’s
2. #17 Marcus Foligno ~ 5 PIM’s
3. #26 Daniel Winnik ~ 4 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #40 Devan Dubnyk (1-2-0-1) 3.80GAA .888%SP
2. #32 Alex Stalock (1-0-0-1) 2.90GAA .924%SP
Vs.
Vancouver Canucks (4-3-1) 9pts 3rd in the Pacific
2.88 Goals For Per Game (21st in the NHL)
2.75 Goals Against Per Game (14th in the NHL)
10.8% Power Play (27th in the NHL)
80.6% Penalty Kill (17th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #15 Derek Dorsett ~ 5G 1A = 6pts
2. #6 Brock Boeser ~ 2G 4A = 6pts
3. #47 Sven Baertschi ~ 2G 3A = 5pts
4. #4 Michael Del Zotto ~ 0G 5A = 5pts
5. #53 Bo Horvat ~ 3G 2A = 5pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #15 Derek Dorsett ~ 42 PIM’s
2. #44 Erik Gudbranson ~ 22 PIM’s
3. #51 Troy Stecher ~ 7 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #25 Jacob Markstrom (3-2-0-1) 2.48GAA .908%SP
2. #31 Anders Nilsson (1-1-0-0) 3.40GAA .918%SP
Lines:
Vancouver Canucks
D. Sedin~H. Sedin~Mrks Granlund
Baertschi~Burmistrov~Boeser
Gagner~Horvat~Vanek
Dorsett~Sutter~Virtanen
Del Zotto~Tanev
Hutton~Gudbranson
D. Pouliot~Stecher
Markstrom
Nilsson
Minnesota Wild
Zucker~Koivu~Stewart
Foligno~Staal~Granlund?
Kunin~Eriksson Ek~Kloos
Winnik~Cullen~Olofsson?
Suter~Spurgeon
Dumba~Brodin
Quincey-Reilly
Dubnyk
Stalock
So, that’s what a win feels like. With the way this season has started, I feel like we’re going to have to be over-celebratory (almost to the point of being obnoxious) for these small victories (including the moral ones) and milestones. Considering how this season has started, it’s probably a good thing that the Minnesota Wild are doing there “This Is Our Ice” campaign, having fans bring in water from their lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams around the state of Minnesota. I’m sure we’ll be seeing lots of fan profiles and videos complete with feel-good stories about why this bit of water is special. That whole “life gives you lemons, make lemonade” kind of thing. Well, we’re certainly going to have enough water for the zambonis for a season’s worth of lemonade. However, considering how bad things are probably going to be, we’re probably going to need limoncello and not just plain ol’ lemonade. Yes, it’s going to be a drown your sorrows kind of season.
Tonight is not going to be easy. Looking at Vancouver’s numbers, they look like a team who has crawled out of their self-induced miasma of recent seasons. Right now, they’re in third place in the Pacific Division, behind Los Angeles and Las Vegas, respectively. While the Golden Knights have started off hot this season (and considering the windfall they got in expansion draft eligible players), we have yet to see if they can sustain this for an entire season. Are they playing with inaugural season emotions or are they really good enough to make the post-season? Since I’m not sure if they’re smoke and mirrors or the real deal, I kind of want to put Vancouver in second place in their division. I’ll admit, I’ve enjoyed watching the Canucks flounder these past few seasons. However, as much as we love to hate Vancouver, I think it makes for a far more interesting season, when there’s a highly competitive team in Vancouver. But just like the Maple Leafs, I don’t think anyone wants to see a championship team in either Toronto or Vancouver, because it would simply make their fans more insufferable than they already are. Yes, it’s good to see good teams back in those seasons, but we love to rag on them for not reaching the ultimate goal. Let’s face it, fans across the league got some serious mileage out of the riot jokes and memes after the Canucks lost in the Cup Finals in 2011. And of course, there’s all the 1967 jokes that almost never get old to any who is not a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
When looking at Vancouver’s numbers, the key to their success has to be the youth. No longer are we seeing the names Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Sure, they’re still on the team, but they’re now serving more as supplemental scoring and not the primary. Instead, topping their scoring list is Derek Dorsett. That is definitely a change from recent seasons. I’m sure that eventually we’ll see one of the Children of the Corn sneak into the Canucks top five in scoring, but for now, let’s enjoy seeing some “new” names there. Although I will say, Daniel and Henrik aren’t that far out of the top scoring, and with them on the top line along with Markus Granlund, they should eventually make an appearance. When you’re given top line minutes, scoring usually come with it. Yet at the same time, I wonder how long head coach Travis Green will keep them there. But with a younger/newer coach, will he be brave enough to disrupt the status quo and move younger players into their spot. Is it possible that Daniel and Henrik are the ones calling the shots, much like Mikko Koivu has in Minnesota for many seasons? And take into account, Henrik is the team captain, so he has some influence that he can wield. What is it about Nordic/Scandinavian captains?
For the Wild, again we are seeing some more new faces. Hooray for the youth movement. The Wild have re-called Luke Kunin (again) as well as former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, Justin Kloos. If they play, it could make for a fairly NCAA-laden NHL team along with Jason Zucker (Denver), Ryan Suter (Wisconsin), Matt Cullen (Saint Cloud State), Charlie Coyle (injured, but Boston University), Zach Parise (also injured, but North Dakota), Gustav Olofsson (Colorado College), Mike Reilly (Minnesota), Daniel Winnik (New Hampshire), and Alex Stalock (UM-Duluth). When I think back to the early days of the Minnesota Wild, I remember that then General Manager Doug Risebrough seemed to do pretty much anything to avoid NCAA players at all costs. There was one particular college hockey player that the Wild could have drafted but passed up on him because he played college. I honestly can’t remember the guy’s name, but I feel like he either played for Anaheim or Ottawa. For whatever reason Bobby Ryan’s name came to mind, but I know he didn’t play college hockey, but it would have been someone around that time. Hell, Risebrough could have gotten T.J. Oshie in that same draft (2005), but of course he picked this guy named Benoit Poulliot instead. We all know how that turned out. But yes, in those days, college players simply didn’t stand a chance coming to Minnesota. Now it feels like if you did play college hockey, you will probably end up either in a Minnesota or Iowa Wild uniform.
So yes, young players will be on the ice on both sides of the ice. Yes, there are a few of the old guard, but it will be the young guys who make a difference. Considering the numbers, my guess is that it will be Vancouver’s young guys that come out ahead.
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