Wild Game Day number 77 Wild Record (37-28-11 85 pts) Home Record (20-13-4)
Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks (44-25-7 95 pts) Road Record (20-14-4)
Site: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last Season Results: 12/16 Wild 3 @ Blackhawks 5 1/8 Blackhawks 4 @ Wild 2 1/11 Wild 1 @ Blackhawks 4 2/3 Blackhawks 0 @ Wild 3 4/7 Wild 2 @ Blackhawks 1
Playoffs 5/1 Wild 3 @ Blackhawks 4 5/3 Wild 1 @ Blackhawks 4 5/5 Blackhawks 1 @ Wild 1 5/7 Blackhawks 4 @ Wild 3
Last Result: 10/30 Blackhawks 4 @ Wild 5 12/1 Wild 2 @ Blackhawks 1 2/21 Blackhawks 1 @ Wild 6 (TCF Bank Stadium) 3/20 Wild 3 @ Blackhawks 2 (SO)
The Wild lead is 3 points heading into tonight's contest with the Hawks, after Colorado's 4-3 win in Nashville last night. No time for the Wild to let up. What was a 5 point lead after Saturday's 4-0 blanking of the Avalanche does not feel so comfortable today. The Wild have owned the Hawks this season and are currently riding a six game regular season win streak over Chicago. But we all know what happened last spring and the two previous Springs between these two.
Zach Parise is red hot and was the NHL first star of the week with his 5 goals and 7 points last week. Devan Dubnyk has his game in high gear riding a personal 5 game win streak stopping 158 of the 165 shots he has faced (.958 save %, 1.35 GAA) over that span.
The Wild and Dubnyk are heating up at exactly the right time. Tonight will be another big test as the Blackhawks have won their last two after winning just 1 of their previous 7. They are in their own battle with St. Louis and Dallas atop the division both for the division crown and also for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Wild must keep their foot on the gas, there is no time for let up. No time to read the press clippings, the playoffs are still very much up in the air but the Wild have their destiny in their own hands. They take care of business and there is nothing Colorado can do.
The Blackhawks and Wild are rivals on the ice for sure, but off the ice they are hockey brethren. They have combined in a joint fundraising effort online to benefit Isanti native Matt Olson who sustained serious spinal cord injuries in a game last month playing junior hockey in Chicago for the Cougars of the U.S. Premier Hockey League. The injury has left Olson paralyzed from the shoulders down and he and his family are in need of great financial support.
Both the Wild and Hawks started auctioning off items on their websites on Sunday and the online auction will run until noon tomorrow March 30th. The Olson family has also established a separate website gofundme.com/mattolson-3 where fans can contribute to help offset the Matt's tremendous medical costs. Please help in any way that you can.
Let's Play Hockey!