Minnesota Wild Three Stars of the Week
In a new feature here at Gone Puck Wild we’re going to highlight a three stars of the week for the Minnesota Wild. These should drop at the beginning of each week, discussing games from Monday-Sunday the previous week.
3. Nino Niederreiter
Niederreiter had a pretty solid run for the Wild, who went 3-1 last week. Nino both registered his first career hat trick (in his first career multi-goal game) and scored a goal that should make the short list for one of the best goals this season.
Niederreiter, in addition to posting four goals over the last week, tallied seven shots, seven hits, two takeaways, and a blocked shot.
Oct 9, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Carter (18) reacts after a fight with Colorado Avalanche forward Maxime Talbot (25) during the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
2. Ryan Carter
Carter, an late off-season acquisition that everyone is warming up to rather quickly, had a big week for the resurgent Wild. Carter posted two goals, two assists, seven hits, and a pair of blocked shots.
Carter has fit in well with the Wild, even in the limited playing time he’s getting. Last season with the Devils he posted ten points (7-3-10) and he’s already got nine (2-7-9) this season, including a goal this week where he cross-checked the puck into the net. That goal set off two goals from Minnesota and one from Buffalo in just 17 seconds, the second fastest three goals have ever been scored in a NHL game. (Fastest involved the Minnesota North Stars.)
Carter deserves some love this week from Wild fans, even if he didn’t do much in the Winnipeg game and finished with a kind of shocking 0% Fenwick For at 5-on-5 (largely because he played just over four total minutes of 5-on-5 in that game). Also he’s from Minnesota and you guys love that.
1. Jared Spurgeon
Number one is a no-brainer for me. Jared Spurgeon came back from an injury to play three of four games this week and it was instantly clear how much he brings to the team.
Patrick Kane may have tried to give Spurgeon the mumps in the hand shake line at the end of the playoffs, but if that rumor isn’t true, he was right and Spurgeon is the best.
Spurgeon finished the week with a goal, an assist, and 11 shots through three games, including eight shots against Buffalo. Most impressive though was his 16 blocked shots over the three games this week. That’s even more impressive when you note he had 15 blocked shots in the last two games. He also had a Fenwick For% at even strength of over 63% in two of his three games this week.