Wild Game Day number 42 Wild Record (22-16-3 47 pts) Road Record (8-12-1)
Opponent: Colorado Avalanche (21-16-3 45 pts) Home Record (14-7-1)
Site: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
Time: 8:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports Net Plus (FSN+)
Last Season Results: 11/6 Wild 0 @ Avalanche 1 11/19 Avalanche 3 @ Wild 2 12/20 Avalanche 0 @ Wild 2 4/2 Avalanche 2 @ Wild 5 4/6 Wild 4 @ Avalanche 3
Last result; 11/24 Avalanche 2 @ Wild 3(SO)
The Avalanche close out a six game homestand tonight when the Wild hit the Mile High City. Colorado are 4-1-0 on the homestand, and have won four straight. The Wild took the first matchup with the Avs with a shootout win the day after Thanksgiving in St. Paul.
Colorado is not the doormat of the NHL any longer and with a win over the Wild tonight will jump over Minnesota in the very tight Central Division standings.
Nathan MacKinnon has developed into the player that Colorado thought they had drafted 1st overall in 2011. After a few subpar seasons since his rookie of the year campaign in 2011-12, MacKinnon has 17 goals and 49 points to rank 5th in the NHL scoring race through 40 games.
Gone is Matt Duchene and the circus of a distraction he had become in Colorado. In his place is a group of players that bring the lunch-pails and go to work every night.
The Wild have been playing some of their best hockey over the last two weeks, but their wins have all come on home ice in that time. Minnesota has dropped their last three road games and 4 of the last 5 away from the friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center.
If the Wild believe they are a playoff team they better start winning on the road or at the very least find a way to get the game to OT and at least grab a point.
A healthy Wild lineup with the full complement of forwards produced a couple of dominant wins at home over Florida and Buffalo. Now let's see how they do on the road in a tough place to play against a division rival.
The second half officially kicks off for the Wild tonight in Denver. The first half did not go as planned, but nothing to get too worried about. The lessons learned as well as the experiences the team went through should serve them well as the games get more intense and have greater meaning.
The Central Division is the toughest division in the NHL, and thus far the Wild have a losing record (6-7-0) within the division. That trend must change as well for Minnesota in the second half in order for them to continue their climb up the standings.
It's Always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!
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