Wild Game Day number 76 Wild Record (42-24-9 93 pts) Road Record (17-18-1)
Opponent: Nashville Predators (48-16-11 107 pts) Home Record (25-8-4)
Site: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last season results: 12/15 Wild 5 @ Predators 2 12/27 Wild 3 @ Predators 2 1/22 Predators 4 @ Wild 2 2/18 Predators 2 @ Wild 5 4/1 Wild 0 @ Predators 3
Last result: 11/16 Predators 4 @ Wild 6 12/29 Predators 2 @ Wild 4 12/30 Wild 0 @ Predators 3 3/24 Predators 1 @ Wild 4
The three game playoff test will be complete tonight when the Wild face the Predators this time in Bridgestone Arena. In the first two games both at home the Wild, went 1-0-1 allowing just 3 goals, and only two in regulation. They ironically fell behind in both contests but rallied back in each.
Tonight will be the toughest test of all for the Wild as they look to even their road record in one of the league's toughest buildings against the NHL's best team.
Jordan Greenway is expected to make his NHL debut tonight for the Wild, and the role that he will play is uncertain at this point. My thought is that he would slot into the third line where Zack Mitchell was Sunday alongside Matt Cullen and Charlie Coyle.
Greenway, the 6'6", 229lb winger will be a presence in the Wild lineup and offer a dynamic that the team has not seen in quite some time. Chuck Fletcher commented yesterday about the defensive side of Greenway's game and how that is as good or better than his offensive upside.
With the Wild powerplay struggling of late, Greenway could produce a spark an make an immediate impact as the big body with great hands to work the front of the net. That has been an area of concern for the Wild for several years, the lack of a net front presence with the man advantage.
With the Wild defense corps being very active and their ability to shoot the puck having Greenway planted in front of opposing goalies should yield a significant return.
Nashville who had gone 14 straight without a regulation loss, before dropping a 5-2 contest at home last Thursday, followed of course by the 4-1 defeat in St. Paul Saturday, and finally a shootout loss in Winnipeg on Sunday. So tonight expect a fired up Predators squad looking to get back on track in front of the home crowd.
The Wild will need to come out strong playing a simple smart game plan. Take what the Preds give them and where there is nothing do not try to make something, take the smart option and play on.
When the Wild have had their troubles it has been in games where speed was a factor and they either could not keep up, or worse tried to be too precise and fancy, which is something they are not.
Expect the Predators to come out flying and the Wild to have to weather a storm early. If they can hold the Predators at bay they have a shot, but the test will be for the Wild to remain composed and stick to the simple plan.
Projected lines: Zucker-Staal-Granlund Parise-Koivu-Niederreiter Greenway-Cullen-Coyle Foligno-Eriksson Ek-Winnik
Suter-Dumba Brodin-Murphy Seeler-Prosser
Dubnyk
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