CreaseAndAssist

Wild vs. Canucks Game Preview Minnesota Wild (20-18-6) 46pts 6th in the Central 3.02 Goals For Per Game (16th in the NHL) 3.27 Goals Against Per Game (25th in the NHL) 18.1% Power Play (20th in the NHL) 75.8% Penalty Kill (26th in the NHL) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #12 Eric Staal ~ 16G 17A = 33pts 2. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 6G 24A = 30pts 3. #11 Zach Parise ~ 14G 12A = 26pts 4. #22 Kevin Fiala ~ 9G 16A = 25pts 5. #36 Mats Zuccarello ~ 11G 13A = 24pts Top 3 PIM’s: 1. #38 Ryan Hartman ~ 50 PIM’s 2. #18 Jordan Greenway ~ 35 PIM’s 3. #24 Matt Dumba ~ 33 PIM’s Top Goaltenders: 1. #32 Alex Stalock (9-7-3) 3.01GAA .901%SP 1SO 2. #40 Devan Dubnyk (8-10-2) 3.16GAA .898% 1SO Vs. Vancouver Canucks (24-17-4) 52pts 5th in the Pacific 3.29 Goals For Per Game (10th in the NHL) 3.13 Goals Against Per Game (18th in the NHL) 24.7% Power Play (5th in the NHL) 79.9% Penalty Kill (17th in the NHL) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #40 Elias Pettersson ~ 20G 27A = 47pts 2. #6 Brock Boeser ~ 16G 27A = 43pts 3. #9 J.T. Miller ~ 16G 26A = 42pts 4. #53 Bo Horvat ~ 13G 25A = 38pts 5. #70 Tanner Pearson ~ 12G 21A = 33pts Top 3 PIM’s: 1. #23 Alexander Edler ~ 40 PIM’s 2. #9 J.T. Miller ~ 34 PIM’s 3. #57 Tyler Myers ~ 26 PIM’s Top Goaltenders: 1. #25 Jacob Markstrom (16-12-3) 2.81GAA .914%SP 1SO 2. #35 Thatcher Demko (8-5-1) 3.20GAA .903%SP @MNSOTA wrote up the game preview, I will be on the post-gamer (which by the way will have lots and lots of extras). The Canucks played yesterday afternoon and won 6-3 over Buffalo. The Wild should be fairly well-rested from their one-game road trip, but you know as well as I do that we'll probably look more tired, somehow. The Canucks are fairly youthful, have an excellent power play. Enjoy and discuss...

Well they put him back on the wing, with McBain moving to center. But again...last night with no points, 5 shots and a -1.

I hate Boldy's skating. I think at lower levels its less of an issue but at the NHL level it becomes a real big problem. He's a great stick handler...but he's not scoring for a lack of opportunities at BC. He's getting plenty of ice time, he's shooting the puck. But I hope we see a much better 2020 for him than what he did in 2019.

Inconsistent Effort Dooms Wild in 2-1 Loss to Calgary Too many passengers in a game where you really have to win. At times it looked like we just didn't have any energy. The Wild's best line tonight was the 4th line. Dumba was certainly taking every chance he could to shoot the puck but he's just desperate for a goal. Stalock played well enough and gave the Wild a chance to win in a game where they perhaps didn't quite deserve it. The two misses that hurt the most...Staal's shot off the post, Zuccarello's shot to the side of the goal...and Hartman's failed redirection. Parise and Koivu didn't seem to have a lot of energy, just sort of going through the motions. That isn't good enough. Especially with another fairly long layoff before tonight's game. Even if they had a mandated furlough, you'd have to imagine they had lots of time to watch film and figure things out since Sunday. No excuse for getting outworked. This is a pretty ugly loss...now we're 7pts behind Calgary. I have a full game recap, an extended Iowa Wild report and prospect news too...

Subban wasn't a difference maker in Nashville. He was unnecessary and it was smart on the Predators for finding someone to take him off their hands. Nashville's quality blueline is Josi, Ellis and Ekholm's domain even when P.K. Subban was there. But even they can't make up for sub-par goaltending.

Ranking the Minnesota Wild Prospect Pool 2019-20 Edition, projections and potental... I went through and did a deep dive on the Minnesota Wild's prospect pool. Enjoy and discuss...

Is it just me, or when someone comes out and says they're not going to fire him...they often do exactly that a few days or a week later.

Intriguing. Kind of wondered when the shoe was going to drop. They kind of took a small step back last season and this year they've really been struggling . The team felt it made some decent moves to keep them competitive and strong. The Granlund trade isn't looking so hot. Goaltending has been rough this year too. I don't think it was anything that Laviolette did, but he also wasn't able to do much of anything to get them out of their rut either. Duchene doesn't seem to be difference maker, the record for multiple franchises seem to indicate that pretty well and now he's there guy for quite a while. It will be interesting to see if Poile starts selling off pieces if an interim coach can't right the ship.

Yea, imagine what may have happened if they had a guy that might actually crash the crease. Oh wait, the night before...they crashed the crease and we won the game. As a friend of mine says on Twitter all of the time in regards to the Minnesota Wild, its checkers...not chess!

Not to mention, with zero people willing to screen a goaltender or litterally camp out near the top of the crease. They literally race for a spot along the perimeter.

No doubt...although Vegas won't have to worry about it apparently.

Missed Opportunities Abound in Wild's 5-4 Shootout Loss to Calgary The Wild let Calgary hang around despite having a pretty shaky goalie tonight. Then in overtime they get a gift of a power play and then decide this is the time to just hang out on the perimeter. A missed chance at a regulation win and then throwing it away in OT too. Foligno, Kunin and Eriksson Ek was their best line. Good teams take advantage of a team fighting it like Calgary was, instead the Wild gave up an extra point who they are fighting for a wildcard spot with. Not good enough. I have full game recap, an Iowa Wild report and prospect news too! Check it out!

I've watched it a lot over the years, but with other hockey going on...unless Wild prospects are in it I normally don't watch too much of it. Gord Miller and Parm do a pretty good job with it.

That makes sense they'd start Rittich, since Talbot didn't fare too well against us last time.

Russia sat back...and found a way to lose. Give credit to Hayton for gutting it out and sort of swinging the momentum back to Canada's favor. The non-delay of game call was comical. It clearly hit the camera and how the crew on the ice can't review that is another embarrassment for the IIHF. Delay of game is a pretty black & white rule. Khovanov still had a respectable tournament and he was the only reason I paid any attention to the WJC's at all.

The camera non-call is ridiculous. As even Parm said...the camera sits behind the plane of the glass for that reason. It is ridiculous that wasn't a delay of game call. Either way, the Russians sat back...and found a way to lose. Either way, Khovanov had a great tournament and that is literally the only reason I cared about this game at all.

2021 NHL Expansion Draft, What Are the Minnesota Wild to do? Some thoughts... @IllaZilla wrote up this article discussing some of the possible scenarios and tough choices the Minnesota Wild will possibly have with Seattle's addition to the NHL. Some great food for thought here. Enjoy and discuss!

My fantasy team wants Matt Tkachuk healthy. As long as Foligno makes the 3rd line a huge pain in the ass to play against and can continue chipping in points...I'll be fine with that.

It will be interesting to see if Khovanov can make a play for tournament MVP if he has a strong game against Team Canada. I have a huge prospects article in the works and I'll probably publish it tomorrow.

I'd guess we'd see Stalock between the pipes today.

Vegas was one team I joked about on Twitter. But does that fanbase travel? Other fanbases certainly have traveled there, but will they make their way for a Winter Classic? Although you wouldn't really have an alumni game opportunity by inviting them. Would Brad Hunt have to play for the Golden Knights alumni team?!?

(shrugs) As much as I'd like to schitt on Paul Fenton, his later picks have looked pretty good thus far. The 1st rounders, a schitt show to be sure. Boldy looks like a garbage pick; a player who had inflated totals playing a team full of studs on the USNDT. Now he can't buy a goal. Caufield was not exactly killing it at the WJC's but he still is looking a lot better for the Badgers than Boldy is for Boston College. Not sure why this really needed a new thread since this has been discussed exhaustively in the prospect thread already.

Eric Staal Delivers in OT as Wild Prevail Over the Jets (sigh) I am actually kind of annoyed. The Wild deserved to lose for how awful they were on the power play throughout regulation in this one. The Jets didn't want to be there and we nearly gave it away. Dumba is...horrible. I have a full game recap, an extended Iowa Wild report and prospect news too...enjoy!

I agree, I thought that was odd too. But it sounds like the Minnesota Twins lobbied hard because they like the cross-promotion angle of it all. They'll spend a bunch of $$$ on winterizing bathrooms for a one-time event but they'll sit back and not upgrade their pitching.

Its a distinct possibility. Majka was saying on Russo's Straight from the Source podcast that ticket prices will be close to what people paid at the Stadium Series game. But he tried to avoid saying much more about the festival other than saying they have a lot of ideas.