Tonight the Wild visit the Maple Leafs in Toronto and the Scotiabank Arena will be at 50% capacity for this one. The Wild took the first matchup in St. Paul, with their 4-3 shootout victory back on December 4th.
That last contest saw the Wild jump out to a 3-0 lead by the game's midway point, only to see the Leafs erase that lead before the second period was complete. The third period saw the Wild regain the territorial play as they recorded 22 shots on net in the final frame, but could not solve Jack Campbell.
Mats Zuccarello and Auston Matthews traded shootout goals before Kirill Kaprizov delivered the game winner after Cam Talbot had stopped William Nylander.
Tonight we will see the other two netminders, as Kaapo Kahkonen and Petr Mrazek man the crease for their respective clubs. Kahkonen has been the better of the Wild goaltenders of late and he draws a very tough assignment facing Matthews, John Taveras, Mitch Marner, and company in the Leafs building.
Marner was unable to go in the first meeting so things could be a bit more difficult for the Wild this time around. Combine that with the fact that Jordan Greenway will not play tonight for Minnesota and the GREEF line will have Nick Bjugstad in his place.
Mats Zuccarello is a game time decision, and if he cannot go, it will be Mason Shaw, who was recalled from Iowa yesterday, stepping into the Wild lineup.
The Wild have dropped three of the last four and are struggling a bit. That is not something that should cause alarm as the ups and downs of an 82 game season happen. It is how teams learn to respond and pick each other up that will go far in separating the pretenders from the contenders.
Minnesota is still one of the top teams in the Western Conference despite the recent bump in the road. Cam Talbot has been a bit off and the Wild defense has not been as solid in front of either Wild goalie over the last couple of weeks. There is also the fact that several Wild players are banged up, but the every other night schedule is not allowing for any rest for the weary.
We know this Wild team is far deeper than any of their past versions, and that will be tested over the next two months. It is all hands on deck as the Wild work toward qualifying for the postseason.
Bill Guerin will be active over the next three weeks leading up to the trade deadline. His major concern is the chemistry within the room, and whomever he brings in will most certainly be character guys, that you can be assured of.
Tonight should be a fast paced up and down the ice game, where special teams are going to be a factor. In the first meeting the Leafs comback was fueled by two powerplay goals. The Wild PK has not been very good over the last seven games, giving up at least one powerplay goal in each and killing at a 72% clip over that stretch.
It's Always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!