Wild Game Day number 77 Wild Record (42-24-10 94 pts) Home Record (25-6-8)
Opponent: Dallas Stars (39-30-8 86 pts) Road Record (14-18-5)
Site: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last Season Result: 10/29 Stars 0 @ Wild 4 11/21 Wild 2 @ Stars 3 (OT) 1/14 Wild 5 @ Stars 4 1/24 Wild 3 @ Stars 2 (SO) 2/16 Stars 1 @ Wild 3
Last Result: 12/27 Stars 2 @ Wild 4 2/3 Wild 1 @ Stars 6
Six games to play for the Wild and they are four points up on Colorado with a game in hand. With the Avalanche losing last night to Philadelphia, the Wild inched closer to securing their playoff own playoff berth. A win tonight would go another big step towards a sixth straight postseason for the Wild.
Dallas is coming off a come from behind 3-2 overtime win over those very same Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night. That win snapped the Stars eight game losing streak that took them out of the playoff race completely. Yes they are still mathematically alive, but having just 86 points and only five games left those odds are not good.
Of course the Stars players will battle and fight until the end and don't look for them to raise the white flag either, especially against their Central Division rival in Minnesota.
You will recall the last time these two met in early February, the Stars held a one point lead over the Wild and the Wild were coming off a very impressive win over Vegas. That night did not go so well for the green and iron range red.
After a scoreless first period the Stars blitzed the Wild in the second with four goals in a span of just over five minutes and went on to a 6-1 drubbing of the Wild.
Since that night thought the teams have gone in opposite directions with the Wild going 14-6-5 while the Stars 10-11-4. Most of those Dallas losses of course coming during that eight game (0-6-2) losing streak.
For the Wild they are pulling things together at just the right time of the season. A problem in years past has been the Wild easing in or better yet, backing their way into the playoffs largely on the heels of their chasers losing rather than via the traditional path of winning their own way in.
This year appears to be a different story as the Wild have put together a six game streak (3-0-3) where they have not lost in regulation and after dropping their first two March games, have rebounded to go 6-2-3 since then.
Six games remain 2 at home and 4 on the road. The next three against non-playoff opponents and then the three game California trip to end the season. These first three can go a long way in securing the Wild's playoff berth, but they cannot be taken lightly.
The Stars have amazing top end scoring talent and if the Wild are not prepared and ready to battle from the start things could turn in a hurry. They need to approach these next three games just like they did the last three and take care of their own business and not have to worry about out of town scoreboard watching.
Wild Projected Lines: Zucker-Staal-Niederreiter Granlund-Koivu-Parise Greenway-Cullen-Coyle Foligno-Eriksson Ek-Winnik
Suter-Dumba Brodin-Murphy Seeler-Prosser
Dubnyk
It's always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!
Follow me on Twitter @dwalace17