Wild Game Day number 82 Wild Record (48-25-8 104 pts) Road Record (21-13-6)
Opponent: Arizona Coyotes (30-41-10 70 pts) Home Record (18-17-5)
Site: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Time: 8:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last season results: 10/15 Wild 4 @ Coyotes 3 12/11 Wild 1 @ Coyotes 2(OT) 1/25 Coyotes 2 @ Wild 1(SO)
Last result: 12/17 Coyotes 1 @ Wild 4 1/19 Coyotes 3 @ Wild 4
Finally here, the end of the 82 game season to establish seeding and venues for the real season. Game 82 for the Wild tonight in Arizona with absolutely nothing at stake for either team.
For Minnesota though, it is still yet another tune-up and opportunity to establish some individual and team confidence heading into next week.
The Wild equaled their franchise high in both wins at 48 and points with 104 on Thursday, with their win in Colorado. A win tonight can establish new franchise bests in both, so there is a little something teamwise at stake.
There are a few personal achievements also on the line tonight in Arizona for some of the Wild players as well. Both Zach Parise and former Coyote Martin Hanzal are each sitting on 19 goals for the season and would like to hit the 20 goal plateau tonight. For Parise, it would m,ark the 9th time in his 12 year NHL career that he has hit the 20 goal mark, and for Hanzal this would be his first 20 goal campaign in his 10 year career.
Both Ryan Suter and former Coyote, Ryan White enter the game with 9 goals each and could become the 14th and 15th Wild players to score double digit goals this season.
Darcy Kuemper will be in goal tonight in one final appearance to establish some sort of confidence heading into the playoffs, and more importantly for him personally as he is due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Kuemper's future is clearly up in the air both with the Wild short term as Dubnyk's back-up and moving forward as he hits the open market on July 1st.
Much of Kuemper's problems stem from his confidence or lack there of once he let's in a goal. There is a huge mental aspect to every position, but goaltending takes a focus like no other position. The fact that the games shift in momentum at the drop of a hat, and can turn at any time, are toughest on goalies.
The best goalies are the ones that keep themselves involved in the game even if the majority of the play is at the other end of the rink. Those that get out of the flow and let their minds wonder find themselves in tough situations and the game usually takes a turn for the worse.
Often it is not the number of goals a goalie allows, but more the type of goal and worse the timing of the goals against that leave the most lasting effects on teams.
The Coyotes are a team of youth and they are as loose as they come. They are undefeated in their last four (3-0-1) including a 6-3 win over the NHL leading Washington Capital just over a week ago.
It should be a good opponent for the Wild, even though Arizona is one of the lesser teams in the league, they will not be resting anyone, and their players are playing for jobs, which makes them a better tune-up team than say a playoff team with nothing to play for.
It's Always Hockey Day in the State of Hockey!
Let's Play Hockey!
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