Minnesota Wild Recalls John Curry, Jake Dowell from Iowa
By Dakota Case
Apr 23, 2013; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Penner (25) and Minnesota Wild forward Jake Dowell (18) battle for the puck in the third period at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeat the Kings 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
After gutting out a win in a highly intense injury-plagued matchup with the Los Angeles Kings, the Minnesota Wild has recalled goaltender John Curry and rugged role playing forward Jake Dowell from Iowa of the American Hockey League.
Per the team’s official website:
"The Minnesota Wild has recalled goalie John Curry and forward Jake Dowell from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.Curry is 7-9-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average (GAA) and a .920 save percentage (SV%) in 19 games with Iowa this season. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound netminder has also posted a 10-2-0 record, 2.66 GAA and .917 SV% in 13 games with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL this season. He is 2-2-0 with a 3.79 GAA and a .867 SV% in four NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2008-10). The 30-year-old last appeared in an NHL game on Jan. 16, 2010 at Vancouver. The native of Shorewood, Minn., was signed by Minnesota to a two-way NHL contract on Feb. 17 and wears jersey No. 30 for the Wild.Dowell owns 17 points (6-11=17) and 56 penalty minutes (PIM) in 54 games with Iowa this season. The 6-foot, 200-pound native of Eau Claire, Wis., skated in two games with Minnesota last season and has tallied 33 points (11-22=33) and 133 PIM in 156 career NHL games with Chicago, Dallas and Minnesota. The 29-year-old wears sweater No. 18 with the Wild."
Perhaps the biggest news is what isn’t said. With the call-ups, it’s a good indicator–well, maybe not good–that some key players are banged up. Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter, a pair of 2010 first rounders, left Monday night’s game against the Kings early with what clearly looked to be head injuries after taking a beating from the ever-physical Monarchs.
While Niederreiter is said to be questionable for Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Granlund is out with an upper-body injury. Minnesota didn’t fare too well without the talented Finnish phenom the last time he missed considerable game action, going 6-7-1 while contributing just 23 goals in the span of 14 games. In 63 games, Granlund is Minnesota’s fourth-leading scorer with eight goals and 33 assists for 41 points and a negative-3 rating. He’ll most likely be replaced with rookie Erik Haula on Minnesota’s second line.
In addition to Granlund, Minnesota is also without the services of starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who left Monday’s pregame skate early with an upper-body injury. It was hoped he’d be ready for tomorrow night’s matchup against the struggling Blackhawks, however, that’s clearly not the case, hence Curry’s temporary promotion. The Wild has six games left in the regular season; with just one more back-to-back, it’s highly probable Ilya Bryzgalov starts them all.
Tonight, your team to root for is none other than the Los Angeles Kings team your Minnesota Wild just played a few days ago. With the Dallas Stars having overtaken them in the race for the second wild card spot in the West, the Phoenix Coyotes are sure to play a desperate game against the Kings, who can clinch a playoff berth as the Pacific’s third seed with a win. That game will be played on NBC Sports Network at 9:30 PM CT.