Wild Game Day number 67 Wild Record (31-25-10 72 pts) Home Record (17-11-4)
Opponent: St. Louis Blues (37-20-9 83 pts) Road Record (18-9-5)
Site: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: NBC Sports Network (NBCSN)
Last Season Results: 11/23 Blues 3 @ Wild 2 (SO) 3/14 Wild 3 @ Blues 1 3/21 Blues 3 @ Wild 6 4/11 Wild 2 @ Blues 4
Western Conference First Round Playoff Series Results Game 1 Wild 4 @ Blues 2 Game 2 Wild 1 @ Blues 4 Game 3 Blues 0 @ Wild 3 Game 4 Blues 6 @ Wild 1 Game 5 Wild 4 @ Blues 1 Game 6 Blues 1 @ Wild 4
Last results: 10/10 Blues 2 @ Wild 3 10/31 Wild 2 @ Blues 3 (OT) 12/31 Wild 3 @ Blues 1 2/6 Wild 1 @ Blues 4
The Wild return home tonight to host the Blues after a successful 2-0 road trip. The wins were not pretty but in the end the Wild gutted out the necessary 4 points and are now 2 points ahead of Colorado with a game in hand. Minnesota has had the better of St. Louis over the last two seasons going 8-4-2 including last Spring's playoff victory over the Blues.
The Wild are currently on their second four game win streak under coach Torchetti and now have climbed back into a playoff position. It has not been pretty but an 8 and 3 record is a welcome turnaround to the dreadful final month and a half under Mike Yeo. The Wild offense has come around under Torchetti and the powerplay (now 13th in the league) has been one of the league's best, but the penalty kill has become a source of major concern.
Wild opponents have gone 11 for 36 on the powerplay in the 11 games since Torchetti took over and are 8 for 13 over the last 7. Is it personnel or is it philosophy? My thought is a lot of both. The passive approach and lack of urgency in taking away passing lanes and moving oppinent forwards out from in front of the Wild crease.
Today's Opponent the Blues always play a very physical game against the Wild, one in which special teams are often the deciding factor. St. Louis has the 6th ranked powerplay and are led by notorious Wild killer Vladimir Tarasenko and his 12 powerplay goals. It is of the utmost importance that the Wild PK start to turn things around and it needs to begin tonight.
The Wild have been a team that has played to the level of their competition both up and down, so I expect a better overall effort tonight against the Blues. Jaden Schwartz has 9 points in his 10 games since returning to the Blues lineup after missing 50 games with an ankle injury. Schwartz factored in on all three St. Louis goals in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win in Ottawa, and his presence in the Blues lineup makes them an even tougher team to play against.
It is time for the Wild to step up their level of play. The team leaders need to pick up their role in bringing the locker room together, Great teams play for each other and draw from adversity to build the foundation which takes them to the highest levels. The leadership of this team is in question and the next few weeks will tell the tale of how this team will move forward beyond this season.
Let's Play Hockey!