Wild Game Day number 16 Wild Record (8-6-1 17 pts) Home Record (4-2-0)
Opponent: Boston Bruins (10-6-0 20 pts) Road Record (7-3-0)
Site: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last Season Results: 11/19/15 Wild 2 @ Bruins 4 2/13/16 Bruins 4 @ Wild 2
Last Result; 10/25 Wild 5 @ Bruins 0
Tonight the Bruins come to town with a much different look than they had 3 weeks ago in Boston, where the Wild routed the B's 5-0. That game saw the Bruins goaltending tandem with a combined 1 game of NHL experience. That will not be the case this evening as Tuukka Rask is back between the Bruins pipes.
Rask is one of the NHLs elite goalies and enters tonight's game with a 10-1-0 record, 1.54 GAA, .945 save percentage, and 3 shutouts. He gives the Bruins a chance to win ebery night, much as Devan Dubnyk does for the Wild. The major difference is the Bruins get a more consistent output from their top players Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
The Wild have developed a very bad tendency of late following a good game with a lackluster effort. Bruce Boudreau's challenge with this group is going to be how to keep their compete level up. Their overall chemistry isn't bad but that is something that has plagued this team for a very long time. It is a culture and to a man that has to change in order for the Wild to achieve their true potential.
Tonight will be quite a test for the Wild offense which has gone into hibernation over the past five games scoring just eight goals with four of those coming at Pittsburgh a week ago, and one of them into an empty net. The Wild have been shut out twice and held to just two goals in the other two going two and three in those five. If not for Dubnyk they could really be on quite a losing skid.
Boston over the last two seasons have been outstanding on the road going 32-16-3 combined including a win (4-2) in St. Paul last February, which ultimately ended Mike Yeo's tenure behind the Wild bench.
As expected Joel Eriksson Ek has been returned to his Swedish Elite League club in Farjestad.
Keys for the Wild tonight: Get more shots through to the net Be more disciplined (stay out of the box) Make their chances count because there won't be many Bring a 60 minute effort
Let's Go Crazy!
Let's Go Wild!
Let's Play Hockey!