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New look Sabres Present Next Challenge For Wild |
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Wild Game Day number 20
Wild Record (12-5-2 26 pts)
Home Record (7-1-2)
Opponent: Buffalo Sabres (11-6-2 24 pts)
Road Record (5-4-1)
Site: Xcel Energy Center, St.Paul, MN
Time: 5:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
The upstart Sabres are in town with their new look, ready to take the next step in their progression back to becoming relevant once again. Buffalo comes in third place in the extremely tight Atlantic Division, where the top five teams are separated by just five points.
Minnesota has owned the series over the last five seasons winning eight of the ten games against Buffalo. Ironically those two Sabre victories over the Wild have come in St. Paul, and those victories have come in the last three trips they have made to the state of hockey.
It should not be a shock that the Sabres are finally making a significant step forward, as they have had numerous top NHL draft picks that have fortified the Buffalo lineup. Jack Eichel (2nd Pick 2015), Sam Reinhart (2nd Pick 2014), Rasmus Ristolainen (8th Pick 2013), Eden Prairie's own, Casey Mittlestadt (7th Pick 2017), and Rasmus Dahlin the prize pick of the 2018 draft lottery are all key contributors to the Sabre success through the first month of the season.
The difference this season in Buffalo has been the new additions that were brought in through trade, combined with the home grown top tier talent. Jeff Skinner was acquired from Carolina for Cliff Pu, and three future draft picks, and Conor Sheary was acquired from Pittsburgh for a 4th round pick, and goalie, Carter Hutton was signed as a free agent to solidify the Sabre net.
A combination of the Sabre high end talent maturing along with those key additions in exchange for no players from the Buffalo roster, has delivered instant results, turning what was a very minimally competitive team a year ago into a formidable foe, likely for years to come.
Tonight is another homecoming for Jason Pominville, Marco Scandella, and will be the first visit to the Xcel Energy Center for former Gopher and Eden Prairie Eagle, Casey Mittlestadt in an NHL uniform.
The Wild are coming off an impressive 6-2 victory over the Canucks on Thursday,following their worst performance of the season Tuesday in their 5-2 loss to Washington.
Wild head coach, Bruce Boudreau, has done an outstanding job through the first month and a half with this team. He has the oldest team in the league that is challenged a bit in the speed department, yet he has them sitting just a point out of the top spot in the Western Conference a quarter of the way through the season.
Devan Dubnyk has been outstanding, and the Wild defense is as good as any six man unit in the entire NHL. Matt Dumba has matured into one of the top defensemen in the league, both with his offense 7 goals and 11 points, but more so with his elevated level of play in all three zones.
Ryan Suter is the rock of the Wild blueline, no argument about that. But the key difference this season is the confidence that Boudreau has in the supporting cast. Jared Spurgeon has alwasy been "the barometer"according to Boudreau, but his partner Jonas Brodin has been tremendous, and the third defense pair, of rookie, Nick Seeler and free agent signee, Greg Pateryn, have changed the dynamic of the Wild D corps.
Zach Parise will return to the Wild lineup after missing Thursday's game due to illness.
Wild projected lines:
Zucker-Staal-Niederreiter
Parise-Koivu-Granlund
ErikssonEk-Coyle-Greenway
Foligno-Fehr-Brown
Suter-Dumba
Brodin-Spurgeon
Seeler-Pateryn
Dubnyk
Stalock
It's always Hockey Day in the State of Hockey!
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Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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