Wild Game Day number 30 Wild Record (16-7-6 38 pts) Home Record (11-3-1)
Opponent: New York Rangers (19-9-4 42 pts) Road Record (6-5-3)
Site: Xcel Energy Center, St Paul, Minnesota
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last Season Results: 10/27 Wild 4 @ Rangers 5 4/2 Rangers 3 @ Wild 2
Devan Dubnyk returns to the Wild net to face the New York Rangers tonight at the X. Last season the Rangers took both meetings with the Wild with both contests being decided by a one goal margin. The first meeting in New York saw the Wild jump out to a 3-0 lead only to give up 5 third period goals in the 5-4 loss. The second meeting was at the end of the season, and was a lot more of what we expect from these two teams, a close checking 1 goal game in St. Paul.
The Rangers have hit a little bit of a rough patch after a torrid start to the season. They are 2-3-2 thus far in December after a 17-6-2 record through October and November. The overall Ranger record is a good indication of who they are. They are not as good as the early record showed, nor as mediocre as the current streak shows. They are an upper echelon Eastern Conference team with solid defense, very good overall team speed, and superior goaltending in Henrik Lundqvist.
The Wild and Rangers are very similar in how they go about their game plan. Both start with goaltending and mobile defense, combined with four lines that come at you with speed. Both clubs have four lines that are very similar in style and relentless on the puck. The Wild and Rangers are both very well prepared teams and battle every night from opening face off to final buzzer.
Jarret Stoll will make his Wild debut tonight. He will skate on the fourth line between Ryan Carter and Chris Porter. Erik Haula will be the odd man out this evening, with Stoll filling his position. The choice to insert Stoll into the line-up tonight, with the Wild on their current 5-0-3 streak, was the familiarity with his former team.
Look for a close checking game with a lot of speed through the neutral zone by both teams. Special teams will be a factor for sure tonight. The Wild are looking much better in the penalty kill department, killing 15 of 17 in their last 8 games, and the power play did find the net three times on Tuesday. The Rangers are 6th in the NHL in both power play percentage (21.6%), and penalty kill (84%).
Let's Play Hockey!