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Wild Wrap Up Canadian Trip Tonight Head Home for 3 Weeks! |
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Wild Game Day number 53
Wild Record (34-12-5 73 pts)
Road Record (17-6-5)
Opponent: Winnipeg Jets (25-26-4 54 pts)
Home Record (13-11-1)
Site: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last season results:
10/25/15 Wild 4 @ Jets 5
11/10/15 Jets 3 @ Wild 5
11/27/15 Jets 3 @ Wild 1
1/15/16 Jets 1 @ Wild 0
4/3/16 Wild 1 @ Jets 5
Last result:
10/15 Jets 3 @ Wild 4
11/23 Jets 1 @ Wild 3
The Wild wrap up their four game Canadian road trip tonight with their first visit to MTS Centre this season to face the Jets. Minnesota took the first two meetings in St. Paul back in October and November respectively.
After tonight the Wild enter a rare three week stretch where they will play eight straight home games. With their bye week occurring in the middle, the Wild will not play another road game until February 28th when they will make a return visit to Winnipeg.
This is a key point in the season for Minnesota as they will have a stretch of games where they can really make a statement for themselves, as well as put some distance between them and the rest of the pack.
Bruce Boudreau has his team focusing in smaller week long segments which is working and the team is responding even if they don't play their best game they are rarely following that up with another subpar performance.
We can all look ahead though at the schedule and see the obvious, eight straight home games over three weeks then a fast and furious 20 games in 35 days to close out the season. Making hay while the team is feasting on home cooking could absolutely go a long way in securing a top spot for the Wild in the wide open Western Conference.
First things first though as the Jets and Wild always play close games, and with Winnipeg in a battle to secure a playoff berth of their own they will be ready for the fight. The Jets had been flying high on a three game winning streak, with wins over Central Division rivals, Chicago, St. Louis, and Dallas, before tossing up a clunker on Sunday where they lost in Denver 5-2.
Winnipeg can score goals and do it in bunches, Patrik Laine (23 goals), Mark Scheifele (25 goals), Blake Wheeler (16 goals), and Nikolaj Ehlers (19 goals). Minnesota native, Dustin Byfuglien is always a force to be reckoned with both in his own end and forcing the play offensively.
Charlie Coyle will be playing in his 283rd consecutive game tonight, tying the club record set by Antti Laaksonen. Coyle has been struggling of late and has been moved down the lineup in an effort to get him to focus a bit more on his game so that he can get back to playing the kind of game that coach Boudreau needs him to play.
Projected Line Combinations:
22 12 53
64 9 16
11 56 29
7 44 3
46 20
6 24
5 4
40
Big games tonight in Winnipeg and tomorrow at home against the Hawks, no looking past the Jets for the Wild tonight.
It's always Hockey Day in the State of Hockey!
Let's Play Hockey!
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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