Minnesota Wild (40-14-6) 86pts 1st in the Central
3.33 Goals For Per Game (2nd in the NHL)
2.33 Goals Against Per Game (2nd in the NHL)
22.6% Power Play (3rd in the NHL)
83.2% Penalty Kill (9th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 20G 36A = 56pts
2. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 17G 30A = 47pts
3. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 20G 26A = 46pts
4. #12 Eric Staal ~ 17G 29A = 46pts
5. #3 Charlie Coyle ~ 14G 30A = 44pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #7 Chris Stewart ~ 79 PIM’s
2. #21 Ryan White ~ 70 PIM’s
3. #24 Mathew Dumba ~ 43 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #40 Devan Dubnyk (33-11-3) 2.05GAA .931%SP 5SO
2. #35 Darcy Kuemper (7-3-3) 3.05GAA .910%SP
Vs.
Winnipeg Jets (28-29-6) 62pts 5th in the Central
2.89 Goals For Per Game (10th in the NHL)
3.14 Goals Against Per Game (27th in the NHL)
17.7% Power Play (20th in the NHL)
76.7% Penalty Kill (27th in the NHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #55 Mark Scheifele ~ 25G 37A = 62pts
2. #29 Patrik Laine ~ 30G 24A = 54pts
3. #26 Blake Wheeler ~ 17G 32A = 49pts
4. #27 Nikolaj Ehlers ~ 20G 28A = 48pts
5. #33 Dustin Byfuglien ~ 9G 30A = 39pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #33 Dustin Byfuglien ~ 93 PIM’s
2. #22 Chris Thorburn ~ 76 PIM’s
3. #8 Jacob Trouba ~ 45 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #37 Conor Hellebuyck (20-15-3) 2.79GAA .910%SP 3SO
2. #34 Michael Hutchinson (4-10-3) 3.23GAA .894%SP 1SO
Lines:
Winnipeg Jets
Ehlers~Little~Wheeler
Perreault~Scheifele~Laine
Matthias~Lowry~Armia
B. Tanev~N. Petan~Thorburn
Melchiori~Byfuglien
Morrissey~Chiarot
Stuart~Postma
Hellebuyck
Hutchinson
Minnesota Wild
Zucker~Koivu~Granlund
Haula~Hanzal~Coyle
Niederreiter~Staal~White
Stewart~Graovac~Schroeder
Suter~Spurgeon
Brodin~Prosser
Scandella~Dumba
Dubnyk
Kuemper
Wow, what can I say about last night?
Now I have to admit, that due to work I missed pretty much the entire game except the last 5-10 minutes of regulation and overtime. Well the 12 seconds of overtime it took to seal that game up, which by the way is the fastest Wild overtime game winner in franchise history. It seemed like the entire game was uphill battle, at least what I could see from the notifications that popped up on my phone. I was on an evening break when I caught the last few minutes of the NBCSN pre-game show. Jeremy Roenick said it was up to the Los Angeles Kings to take advantage of Minnesota. With the Wild coming off their bye week, they didn’t have the same game legs and mindset as the Kings. Plus, they finally had Johnathan Quick back in net for his second game after an injury suffered back in October. What I could gather from those notifications on my phone (thank you modern technology), is that the Kings would get up a goal. Yet the never say die attitude of the Minnesota Wild would find a way to tie the game up again. This happened four times during regulation, the third time in Wild franchise history that this has happened. In seasons past, Minnesota would have a hard time getting their minds back in the game after giving up a goal. It’s a much different Wild this year, hence why they’re leading the Western Conference.
And I think it’s the shift in attitude in Minnesota that makes goals like Mikael Granlund’s overtime game winner possible. Head coach Bruce Boudreau’s decision to move him from center to wing has paid off dividends. Granlund’s no longer required to be the playmaker, and instead can be an offensive threat. Watching him skate around Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jeff Carter in overtime last night to score that goal, was a thing of beauty. And of course, we have to acknowledge the hard work of Granlund, Mikko Koivu, and Jared Spurgeon at the puck drop. Watching the replays of that goal, it looked like a well choreographed dance, which allowed Granlund to get free and skate in alone, around three veteran, Cup-winning Kings players, and ultimately past Quick. That is the kind of skill and determination that Minnesota is going to need heading into the post-season. I also believe it clearly proves why the Wild need to continue to skate with the puck in on goal. I know that easier said than done, but when Minnesota uses its speed and skates in on the opposing goaltender, they’re a much harder team to beat. I feel that if the opposition hasn’t figured out the key to beating the Wild is keeping them to the perimeter. You let them in close, or in a one-on-one (or one-on three as Granlund demonstrated), you’re going to have a much harder time beating Minnesota. To make matters worse, every line has a player (or two) that can apply the jets, which can make your life hell. Plus, the speedy skaters have the ability to elevate the play of their “slower” linemates. Don’t believe me? Look at the Granlund, Koivu, Jason Zucker line. The skating ability of Granlund and Zucker I firmly believe has elevated Koivu’s skating. Now if only Koivu and Granlund can improve Zucker’s hands, life would be just about perfect.
So now after the elation of last night, things need to get serious again. As we all know, the Wild’s schedule to close out the regular season is hellish, and that’s putting it mildly. Back-to-back games pepper the remaining schedule. And with that back-to-back craziness, unless he gets sick (which could very well happen), expect to see Darcy Kuemper in net. Like Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said on Twitter, there’s no reason at this point to play Devan Dubnyk both nights of a back-to-back scenario. You want to keep from wearing Dubnyk out, which can help prevent injury and more importantly, you have to keep Kuemper game-ready. At this point in the season, anything really can happen. For example, you lose both Zach Parise and Jason Pominville as well as Wild assistant coach Scott Stevens to the mumps. Yes, the very same once pretty much eradicated illness that plagued the Wild and several other teams back in 2014 is back. Yes, the same illness that the entire team was vaccinated for when it broke out last time. And before anyone says “well the vaccine failed” put the blame squarely where it belongs. Chances are, one of their children brought it home from school or daycare. With more and more people out there believing it’s their right to not vaccinate their children, they are putting the rest of us at risk. The vaccine doesn’t keep us fully immune our entire lives. But what it does do, is that little bit of antibody still in our system is usually enough to keep us healthy enough, however we have to also depend on a communal or “herd” immunity. Meaning everyone who is medically capable gets vaccinated. Those who can’t be vaccinated for legitimate health reasons (allergic to an ingredient) also depend on the rest of us keeping them healthy. But with more and more people choosing to not vaccinate (based on their flawed Google research), it’s breaking that chain of vaccination. Trust me, I speak from experience. I had a mumps scare of my own back in 2014. Okay, end rant.
Playing in Winnipeg on the second night of a back-to-back is probably not an ideal situation. Hopefully Minnesota plays with momentum after last night’s amazing win. However, at the same time, they can’t rest on their laurels. Like Los Angeles, Winnipeg is just on the outside looking in. For them to make the playoffs (and it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility), they’re going to have to play hard. The need to leapfrog the Kings to at least get in the ninth spot in the Western Conference. If they can accomplish that in the little time remaining, then they can work on overtaking the last wild card spot. I don’t see it happening, but it’s not impossible. The Jets should be motivated. First off, you’re playing a divisional opponent that you share a border with. Border battles add an element of rivalry that makes for a good night. Plus, what team doesn’t want to take the division and conference leader down a notch or two? Those two things right there should serve as motivation for the Jets. In the long run, it might not get them into the playoffs, but it can help boost their pride.
Tonight could end up being a long night. But hopefully it’s the Wild’s pride that doesn’t suffer the blow of defeat.
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