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Wild Wrap Up Trip in the Shark Tank |
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Wild Game Day number 29
Wild Record (14-11-3 31 pts)
Road Record (6-8-1)
Opponent: San Jose Sharks (16-10-2 34 pts)
Home Record (9-6-1)
Site: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Time: 8:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last season results:
1/5 Wild 5 @ Sharks 4
3/5 Sharks 1 @ Wild 3
3/21 Sharks 2 @ Wild 3
The Wild wrap up their three game West Coast trip in the Shark Tank tonight. Matt Dumba scored his 4th career OT goal on Friday and second straight OT winner on Friday in the Wild's 3-2 win in Anaheim. The Sharks have won two in a row including their 5-0 win Saturday over Ottawa.
Minnesota took all three meetings with San Jose last season including a 5-4 win in the only game played in San Jose. The Wild overcame two, two goal deficits scoring four third period goals to steal a victory in their last trip to the Shark Tank.
Tonight is a totally different Wild team though as that Wild team was in the midst of a road winning streak while this year they have not been able to develop any kind of consistency. The Wild have won two straight road games just once this season and sit two games below .500 on the road through the first third of the season.
The Wild team defense has been the focus of the issue for much of the season. But that is an easy target and yes it is an issue. But the fact is that this team is not really playing with the emotion or compete level that is needed to be a consistent winner in the NHL.
It seems like the Wild are reacting to the latest setback which allows them to experience a quick fix, but that has little sustainability. The buy-in needs to be from the entire team with everyone pulling in the same direction every night. It does not mean the team will win every night, of course, but it allows them to ultimately builds team character which is the intangible of every winning hockey team.
Tonight the Wild have the opportunity to establish a road streak and finish with a winning trip.
Matt Dumba gets a lot of abuse from the Wild faithful, and some of it is of course deserved but much of it is a product of fan bias. Dumba plays the game very different than the structured style that many purists like to see. On the other hand those same purists get mad when the game is played with a ho-hum style and the results are a team that struggles to score.
Ironically the Wild will face Brent Burns tonight whom many recall had some of the very same criticism placed upon him when he donned the Wild sweater. Wild fans want Burns back and have regretted that deal for years.
Well Burns has evolved into quite an elite player in the NHL, his defense is still not the greatest, but the upside of his offense is worth the trade-off. Now I am not saying that Dumba is Bent Burns, but his offensive skill is upper echelon and being paired with Ryan Suter is only making him a better all around player.
On the other side of the Brent Burns deal is Charlie Coyle. Coyle since his return from injury has scored 2 goals and 7 points in the 9 games including a five game point streak. Coyle has become a very effective power forward creating numerous scoring opportunities every game. The versatility of Coyle who can play center or wing gives Bruce Boudreau a lot more options with his lines as the games unfold.
The Wild are trying to get back to the level of play and consistency they had last season. Tonight is a good opportunity for them to take a step in that direction.
It's Always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!
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