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Updated: Devil of An Opportunity For Wild To Move Up Standings

February 22, 2018, 11:38 AM ET [8 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Wild Game Day number 60
Wild Record (32-20-7 71 pts)
Road Record (12-15-1)

Opponent: New Jersey Devils (31-21-8 70 pts)
Home Record (16-11-3)

Site: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Time: 6:00PM CT

TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)

Last season results:
10/22 Wild 1 @ Devils 2 (OT)
1/17 Devils 4 @ Wild 3

Last result:
11/20 Devils 4 @ Wild 3 (OT)

The Wild play the middle game of their NYC Metro road trip as they cross the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey to face the Devils. To say that the Devils have had their way with the Wild over the years, is a true understatement. Minnesota has just one lone victory in the Garden State, with that coming back in January of 2011, and have only beaten the Devils five times in the 21 previous contests with New Jersey.

The Devils have won the last five meetings between the clubs, including a 4-3 OT win in St. Paul in late November. New Jersey is coming off a 2-1 loss at home to Columbus on Tuesday, which came on the heels of a four game winning streak. Oddly the Devils of late have been very streaky, prior to their recent four game win streak they had dropped 4 in a row twice, sandwiched around a 3 game win streak.

Taylor Hall enters tonight's game on a 19 game point streak (13 goals, 14 assists) since January 2nd. Hall is one of the league's premier talents and is dangerous every time he is on the ice.

For the Wild, they will need to be much better than they were in Brooklyn on Monday afternoon, because the Devils will not give them the same quality looks at the net as the porous Islanders did. New Jersey plays a much better structured game and their speed will give the Wild fits if they aren't ready from the drop of the opening face off.

Devan Dubnyk has been on and off lately which is unlike him. He typically gets into a groove where he is tracking the puck well and the saves almost seem effortless. That has not been the case much of this season as he has looked off balance and at times slow to react when moving side to side.

The one exception of course being the 44 save shutout over the Blackhawks where it seemed that everything thrown his way he swallowed up leaving almost no second opportunities. If the Wild are going to continue their charge up the standings and solidify their playoff position, it is going to take a healthy does of Devan Dubnyk at the top of his game.

Dubs has done it in the past for this Wild team, where he has taken the team on his back to the playoffs. This Wild team that plays in front of Dubnyk is not nearly as committed defensively as those Wild teams of the past few seasons, but this Wild team has more talent top to bottom though. So if they can put it together and all get on the same page, who knows what they could accomplish.

With a win tonight, and some help from the Kings the Wild could find themselves jumping from 8th in the Western Conference and 5th in the Central to 3rd and still have a game in hand over St. Louis and Dallas. The Wild have their fate in their own hands, what they do with it remains to be seen on the ice, but it is there for the taking.

UPDATE: After all that Boudreau decides on Stalock tonight and Dubnyk tomorrow against the Rangers. Lack will be in net for the Devils.

It's always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!

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