Minnesota Wild Vs Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center
The Minnesota Wild 22-17-5 (49 points) begin a two game west coast road trip tonight with a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings 26-13-4 (56 points) at the Staples Center. The Wild is 2-3-0 in their last five games and 4-6-0 in the last 10 games with a road record on the season of 6-12-3 (15 points) with a current streak of four road losses in a row. The Kings have gone 1-4-0 in their last five games and 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. The Kings at home this season have a record of 14-5-2 (30 points).
The Kings Finally Healthy Look to Get Hot Before Olympic Break
The LA Kings finally have their full complement of their NHL roster healthy and will be looking to string together victories and build momentum before the Olympic break that is about a month from now. Previous to their victory against the Vancouver Canucks on January 4th, the Kings had lost six games in a row starting before Christmas.
Tonight will be the first of a four game home stand for the Kings who almost assuredly have tonight singled out as their most winnable game with Bruins, Redwings, and Canucks to follow. Kings center
Anze Kopitar has been hot for the time six points in his last games (2-4=6 points), ten points in the last 13 games (5+5=10 points), and 24 points in the last 30 games (12+12=24 points).
For the Kings this has been the year of the goaltender, after shipping backup netminder to Toronto this past offseason it may have seemed they had weakened their goalie depth but it has proven to not be the case. Many people consider the Kings top tender
Jonathan Quick to be among the NHL’s best goalies currently playing today. His backups have though garnered a majority of the headlines this season for the Kings with
Ben Scrivens earning three shutouts on the year already after coming over in the Bernier trade. Rookie goalie
Martin Jones was called up to the Kings from Manchester and made his first NHL start on December 3rd earning a shutout versus the Islanders 3-0. Jones then went on to go 8-0 before three consecutive losses and a reassignment back to Manchester.
The Kings defensive corps deserves credit for being one of the strongest groups in the NHL. With the rotating door at the goalie position this year they have protected their young netminders in their first extended NHL action. The group led by all world defender
Drew Doughty, is strong in both ends and plays a punishing physical brand of hockey.
Future of the Franchise on Full Display as Wild Lineup Younger than Ever
The Wild team that will take the ice tonight in Los Angeles has Chuck Fletcher’s finger prints all over it with nearly every player in the lineup acquired since he took over as general manager except
Clayton Stoner. The only other player currently available for tonight’s tilt that was the Wild during the Risebrough/Lemaire Era is
Niklas Backstrom who is not starting.
The brutal stretch of injuries the Wild is currently trying to overcome is reminiscent of the 2011-12 season. Head coach Mike Yeo was in his first season as bench boss for the franchise and his lone healthy 1st liner was
Dany Heatley. Well flash forward and it is Heatley back on the top line this time centered by 21 year old
Charlie Coyle tonight with
Jason Pominville on the other wing.
Down the middle for the Wild, Yeo will have Coyle on the 1st line with
Mikael Granlund and
Erik Haula centering the 2nd and 3rd. Granlund has at times this season been the most prolific offensive player for the Wild setting the table for Pominville. Granlund will be looked to by Yeo and Fletcher to elevate his play in the absence of
Zach Parise and
Mikko Koivu. It is time for the Wild’s next generation to cease their opportunity and fulfill their NHL potential. Nobody will be under more scrutiny during this next critical stretch for the team than fan favorite
Jason Zucker.
The time is now for Zucker to put the AHL in his rear view but that can only happen if he finds consistency in his performance in both ends of the rink. No Wild player since maybe
Marian Gaborik has found himself defended so vehemently by the fan base from criticism by the coaching staff and front office. The common denominator in my mind between Gaborik and Zucker, because I believe them to be completely different types of player is speed and a scorer mentality. Gaborik like him or love him created energy and excitement every time he had the puck on his stick entering the offensive zone here in MN.
Zucker has flashed the same ability to create excitement in the Xcel Energy Center with his kamikaze style. Zucker comes from a non-traditional hockey background growing up in California and living in Las Vegas. He has flashed speed and aggressiveness in the offensive zone in each of his career stops the past 3 seasons leaving the fans clamoring for him to be a regular with the Wild.
The marriage between Zucker and the Wild outside looking in, seems to be one of necessity due to the team’s lack of scoring and need for speed. That has not been the case this year though as Zucker has been publicly criticized for his lack of acumen in the defensive end and propensity to turn the puck over. Zucker will need to use this extended opportunity for playing with the Wild as a declaration of his ability to contribute at the NHL level. Zucker needs to play within the system and be patient for his opportunities to put his speed and killer instinct with the puck to use.
Just My Take,
Tony Dean
@TonyDean1204
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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