The Blues and Wild have a matchup that could be as entertaining as there is in the first round of the Playoffs this year. Here's a series breakdown and a Game 1 preview. Regular Season Series: Both teams won once at home and once on the road in the four games between each other this season. The Blues did win once in the Shootout so the Wild are 2-1-1.
Records (Overall/Home/Away): Blues: (51-24-7 / 27-12-2 / 24-12-5) Wild: ( 46-28-8 / 22-13-6 / 24-15-2)
Team Stats Comparison:
Goals For/Game: Blues--5th at 2.91 GF/G Wild--12th at 2.78 GF/G Goal Differential: Blues--3rd (+42) Wild--7th (+29)
Goals Against/Game: Blues-2.40 GA/G (4th) Wild--2.41 GA/G (6th)
Shots on Goal/Game: Blues--30.9 SH/G (10th) Wild-- 30.8 SH/G (12th)
Shots Against/Game: Blues--27.2 SA/G (2nd) Wild--27.6 SA/G (4th)
Faceoff %: Blues-- 53.4% (2nd) Wild-- 49.9% (15th)
Powerplay Numbers: Blues--56 PPG (22.3%)-(4th) Wild-- 39 PPG (15.9%)-(26th)
Penalty Kill Numbers: Blues--42 PPG Against (83.7%)-(7th) Wild-- 32 PPG Against (86.3%)-(1st)
Total Goals For and Goals Against: Blues-239 GF, 197 GA. Wild-227 GF, 198 GA.
Team SV%: Blues-- .912 (13th) Wild-- .913 (10th)
Top Performers in Season Series:
Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko--3 Goals and 2 Assists this season. Alexander Steen--Four Assists against the Wild.
Wild: Zack Parise--3 Goals in the four meetings.
Justin Fontaine also has four points in the series.
Team Goaltenders:
Blues: Jake Allen--2.28 GAA, .913 SV%
Brian Elliott--2.26 GAA, .917 SV%
Wild: Devan Dubnyk--2.07 GAA, .929 SV%
Three Keys to the Series for Each Team:
Blues: Puck Possession, Goaltending, Creating second and third offensive opportunities.
Wild: Forecheck, Goaltending, Faceoffs
These two teams are almost as closely matched as there can be in a Division Winner/Wildcard round. It is going to be a heck of a first round and I think that the Blues take this series in six close games. It has all the makings to go seven games if needed. The Blues will employ more of a physical presence and that will bode well in their favor the longer the series goes.
- Game One Preview:
The Blues and Wild kick off their first round series tonight in St. Louis at 8:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN. The game will be televised on FS-MW here in the STL area.
The Blues come into the series winning five of their last six games all against very strong opponents. They got as fully healthy as a team can be at this time of year and really started playing their game down the stretch to take the Central Division. Jake Allen was named the starter for tonight's game and it will be his first ever Playoff performance. He was amazing down stretch and gave up 6 goals in his final five starts. Hitch hasn't released the lineup for the rest of the game yet but will be expected to after the morning skate.
The Wild come into the playoffs on quite a run. They were an electric 28-9-3 in their final 40 games to secure a wildcard berth. Since the arrival of Devan Dubnyk, the Wild have played like a much different team. Their penalty kill is outstanding and if they play anything like last years playoffs, I would expect a heavy forecheck coming the Blues' way. Their roster may not be as deep as the Blues', but you can never count out big time players like Parise, Suter, and Pominville. Their supporting cast of Zucker, Vanek, Koivu, Coyle, etc., are also very dangerous players.
Both teams will look to forecheck to lay some hits on defenders and force some turnovers. The intensity is going to be ramped up in this series and whatever team makes the least mistakes will probably win the series. Can Dubnyk keep up his amazing run of games? The Wild started to falter in April losing three of four before they started sitting players.
For the Blues to win tonight, they will need to clog up the neutral zone and force turnovers in the Wild defensive zone. Crashing the net for second and third opportunities will be key in getting rubber past Dubnyk. The Blues need to win the special teams battle and keep Ryan Suter from getting his point shots through on the PP and at even strength. One big key--no more lazy drop passes at the offensive blueline--they have been deadly this year. I expect an amazing game and with work tomorrow, I'm hoping for a Blues regulation win.