Wild Game Day number 23 Wild Record (13-7-2 28 pts) Home Record (8-2-2)
Opponent: Winnipeg Jets (12-6-2 26 pts) Road Record (4-4-0)
Site: Excel Energy Center, St.Paul, MN
Time: 3:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last Season Results: 10/21 Wild 3 @ Jets 4 10/31 Jets 2 @ Wild 1 11/27 Wild 2 @ Jets 7 1/13 Jets 1 @ Wild 4
Playoff Series: 4/11 Wild 2 @ Jets 3 4/13 Wild 1 @ Jets 4 4/15 Jets 2 @ Wild 6 4/17 Jets 2 @ Wild 0 4/20 Wild 0 @ Jets 5
The calendar should have a circle around today's date for the Wild, as they get their first look at the Winnipeg Jets, since their disappointing first round playoff exit. You will recall that the Wild went out like a lamb after their lone win of the series, being shutout in each of the final two games of the series.
The result was the exit of long time Wild GM, Chuck Fletcher, and ushered in the era of Paul Fenton, as the new mastermind, hired to deliver the Wild to the next level.
Of course that transition takes time, and today the Wild roster is not much different than the one that was banished in five games to the Jets.
Winnipeg is one of the powers of the Western Conference, while the Wild seek to ascend to that status. The difference is the Wild have been looking for that answer for the better past of the past six or seven seasons.
At some point the key decision to make significant changes must be made, in order for the Wild to stop being a tease to the State of Hockey faithful.
The Jets are coming off a tough loss in Calgary (6-3), that came on the heels of a five game unbeaten streak (4-0-1), where they outscored their opponents by at 20-9 margin.
These teams are all too familiar with each other, but it is the team from the North that has had the upper hand of late, winning eight of the last ten between the clubs. That, of course, includes the five game series in which the Wild's lone win was significantly aided by the Spring snow storm that played havoc with the Jets travel, causing them to arrive on the day of the game.
The Wild have sputtered of late, dropping three of four, prior to Wednesday night's sloppy win over Ottawa. Minnesota played a strong first two periods and appeared to be cruising to a solid win.
Not sure what happened in the third period as they let a three goal lead evaporate before rallying for the 6-4 win.
The good news is they pulled it together and got the two points, and the offense delivered after a couple of tough games. The bad news is the typically strong third period Wild, have not been that lately, being outscored in the final period by a combined 6-2 over their last three games.
Devan Dubnyk will miss today's game and Kaapo Kahkonen has been recalled to serve as Alex Stalock's backup.
Wild projected lines: Zucker-Staal-Granlund Parise-Koivu-Coyle Eriksson Ek-Greenway-Brown Foligno-Fehr-Niederreiter
Suter-Dumba Brodin-Spurgeon Seeler-Pateryn
Stalock Kahkonen
It's always Hockey Day in the State of Hockey!
Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17