Wild Game Day number 12 Wild Record (6-4-1 13 pts) Road Record (2-3-1)
Opponent: Pittsburgh Penquins (9-2-2 20 pts) Home Record (6-0-1)
Site: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Time: 6:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last Season Results: 11/17 Wild 3 @ Penguins 4 12/26 Penguins 3 @ Wild 1
The Wild limp into Pittsburgh tonight after a four days off following their 1-0 loss in Colorado on Saturday. The Penguins won both games versus the Wild last year and have won four straight over Minnesota and six of the last seven the clubs have played.
Pittsburgh is on a roll, undefeated in their last seven, going 6-0-1 over that stretch. They of course are the defending Stanley Cup Champions and have picked up right where they left off last spring. Sidney Crosby is on top of his game since coming back from a concussion, scoring eight goals in seven games. The NHL's best player is not alone though, as the Pens have quite a supporting cast with Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang leading the way. Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust came of age in the playoffs last season, and Sheary has continued that in the new season with three goals and seven points in six games,including four points in the last two. Virginia, MN native, Matt Cullen appears to be ageless, with three goals and nine points, and the versatility to play in ever situation.
For Minnesota, the injury news took a bit of a hit as Marco Scandella has been moved to long term IR, but Erik Haula may make his return tonight to the lineup tonight after missing the last seven. He will be a game time decision. The Wild have recalled Mike Reilly, Christoph Bertschy, and Zach Millerfrom Iowa.
The Wild have been streaky this year with two, 3 Game win streaks and two, 2 Game losing skids, struggling to find the consistency from period to period and game to game. The offense has dried up and needs to get going again. There is no secret the Wild are always going to be a good defensive team, but in order to compete with the league's elite, especially on the road in a hostile atmosphere, they will need to be much better offensively.
Bruce Boudreau brings a lot of experience both as a player and a coach, he knows the riggers of a long season. He knows how to push the right buttons to get his teams to respond. The Wild have have had a lot of time to practice the last two weeks, having played just three games in the last 13 days. That is all about to change as they will play 10 games, beginning tonight, over the next 21 days.
Expect a good effort tonight from the Wild, as they play the defending champs. You know Boudreau will have his team ready and he will be using this as a measuring stick to see how his team stacks up to the best the league has to offer. He will also be looking to see how his team responds to a couple losses that quite easily could have gone the other way.
It's still early, but it could get late very early if you know what I mean.
Let's Go Crazy!
Let's Go Wild!
Let's Play Hockey!