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Lines Juggled But Has The Compete Level Been Adjusted? |
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Wild Game Day number 28
Wild Record (13-11-3 29 pts)
Road Record (5-8-1)
Opponent: Anaheim Ducks (12-11-6 30 pts)
Home Record (7-7-2)
Site: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Time: 9:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last season results:
1/8 Wild 2 @ Ducks 1
1/21 Ducks 3 @ Wild 5
2/14 Ducks 1 @ Wild 0
The up and down Wild will try to get back on the upswing tonight as they visit the Ducks. Bruce Boudreau again will be facing his old club, but that is much less of a story as time marches on.
Anaheim enters tonight's game just a game over the .500 mark and in 6th place in the Pacific Division. The Ducks have been ravaged by injuries as Ryan Kessler has yet to play a single game this season, while Ryan Getzlaf has played in six games and Patrick Eaves just 2 games thus far. Add Hampus Lindholm and Jakob Silferberg to that list and it is no wonder that the Ducks are where they are.
Anaheim GM, Bob Murray, made a deal on November 30th to acquire Adam Henrique and Joseph Blandisi from NJ in exchange for defenseman Sami Vatanen. Ironically Blandisi was injured in only his second game with the Ducks. Henrique has had an immediate impact on the score sheet with 2 goals and 3 assists in the four games since his arrival from NJ.
For the Wild, the beat goes on, albeit the beat of mediocrity. There appears to be no jump and little sense of urgency with this group.
Boudreau threw his forward lines into the blender once again yesterday at practice breaking up the Koivu, Granlund combo that had been a staple for most of Boudreau's Wild coaching tenure.
Granlund has been moved to play with Staal and Niederreiter, while Charlie Coyle has been shifted back to right wing to play with Koivu and Zucker.
Joel Eriksson Ek has been recalled after his brief stint in Iowa, where he logged big minutes and was the best player by far in the 7 games with the baby Wild scoring 3 goals while adding 4 assists. Eriksson Ek will center Tyler Ennis and Chris Stewart, with Cullen centering Foligno and either Winnik or Mitchell.
You can throw the lines threw the blender all day and all night but if the effort and compete levels are where they have been the first two months of the season the results will be much the same.
Eriksson Ek needs to play big minutes here and now. Luke Kunin should not be far behind in his recall and his minutes need to be significant as well. These guys have energy and life, something that has been sorely lacking from a Wild team that has become complacent.
Take a look around the league Chuck Fletcher and Bruce Boudreau. The league has gotten younger while the two of you have tried to build and play with a team that resembles a team that could have competed 2 or 3 years ago. That is not the case today, and the quicker that it acknowledged the faster this thing will turn around.
It's Always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!
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Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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