Preview: Wild vs Jets
The Wild pulled off an impressive win yesterday afternoon in Dallas. Today, the Wild try to make it three wins in a row as they host the Jets at the Xcel Energy Center.
Early on, it looked as if it was going to be “one of those games” as they were outplayed throughout most of the first 30 minutes of the game. Midway through the second period, the Wild had only six shots on goal but were beginning to show signs of life against a Stars team that was possessing the puck and getting quality shots on Darcy Kuemper. One juicy turnover and a fortunate rebound later, the Wild held off the Stars who have won only once in nine home games.
The Winnipeg Jets were also in action yesterday as the faced the Predators in Nashville. Their game also ended 2-1, except they were on the wrong side of the score sheet. Being on the back side of a back-to-back is always tough, especially with travel involved, and Dallas to Minnesota is not a short commute. The Jets playing in Nashville last night theoretically levels out the playing field a bit as both teams will look to get a big win before their day off on Monday.
The Jets have had superior goaltending so far this season averaging only 1.8 goals against per game which is second best in the NHL. Unfortunately, the Jets are 29th in the NHL in goals scored with an average of two goals per game. The Jets are 28th in power play percentage at 11.1% but 2nd in penalty kill percentage.
If the Wild want to extend their current winning streak to three games, they will need to play like they did against the Sabres. They will need to make the most of all opportunities and take plenty of shots. We are still waiting to see if Zach Parise will be in the lineup tonight, I will be tweeting any updates as they come in. Getting Parise back would obviously be a huge help to a Wild team that is still struggling to find ways to score, aside from the Buffalo game of course. Getting Parise back in the lineup means line changes as well. Will coach Mike Yeo go back to the Parise – Granlund – Pominville line together? Or will he keep Granlund, Coyle, and Niederreiter together and set Parise up with Jason Pominville and Mikko Koivu? Where will Jason Zucker line up? Much to be seen here.
One thing is certain, Ryan Carter has been stellar in the Wild’s last three games posting two goals and setting up Erik Haula on a Vanek-esque pass over a defender which tied the game in Dallas. I like the way he, Haula, and Vanek played together, however, if Parise returns, it is likely that Stu Bickel will get scratched and Carter will get 4th line minutes with Kyle Brodziak and Justin Fontaine.
Nov 15, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Minnesota Wild center Charlie Coyle (3) skates with the pucks as Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) defends during the first period at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Wild have only played back-to-back games once this year when they were on the road in New York then going to Boston where they came from behind 3-1 in the third period and won 4-3. For the Jets, this will be their third back-to-back series. They lost both games on October 11th and 12th, they won both on November 11th and 12th, and lost last night in Nashville. Oddly enough, all of their back-to-back games thus far have been on the road, a very tough situation and perhaps a reason why they have only scored 34 goals this year.
I made three predictions before last game, none of them were correct. Justin Fontaine did not score his second goal of the year, however, Granlund did, but I still like how Fontaine played. The Wild only had one power-play opportunity and didn’t convert, and Vanek did post two points like I thought he would. Here are my three predictions for today’s game.
1. Assuming that Zach Parise plays tonight, he will score a goal. Parise is hungry to get back, he will provide the energy that the Wild will need to beat the Jets tonight. Plain and simple.
2. The Wild will post a shutout. This one is as bold of a prediction as they come, but Niklas Backstrom was huge for the Wild on Thursday against Buffalo, and Darcy Kuemper seemed to return to form yesterday in Dallas. Whoever gets the start, I think they will be perfect in net.
3. The Wild will not allow a power-play goal. The Wild have looked really good on the PK in their last few games playing really well on the blue line. Dallas didn’t have many quality scoring opportunities on the power-play yesterday as the Wild were quick to the puck and were able to get the puck out of the zone shortly after it was in the zone.
Historically, the Minnesota Wild are 10-4-3 against the Winnipeg Jets and are 5-1-2 against the Jets at home. The Wild won the season series last year going 4-1-0.