Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets Preseason Round 2
May 5, 2013; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward
Jason Zucker(16) celebrates his goal against Chicago Blackhawks in overtime in game three of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Xcel Energy Center The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Wild take on the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday night in round two of their preseason match up. The Jackets took the first game by a 3-1 final in what was the Wild’s first game of the preseason. The Wild are sending a team consisting of mostly younger players with a few veterans to Columbus. One notable player tonight is Jason Zucker. The young speedster suffered a groin strain in the 1st period of the first game against Columbus and has been watching from the press box ever since. The Wild’s training staff are taking a conservative approach to the injury to avoid aggravating the problem and causing Zucker to be unavailable for opening night. The Wild’s coaching staff is still evaluating one of the most talented groups of young players the Wild have ever had in training camp. There are some tough decisions to be made and many of them will come down to contract status. Players on a two way deal stand a much greater chance of starting the season in Des Moines. Minnesota still has a large group of players in camp and with training camp opening in Iowa I’d expect to see a large roster cut down very soon. For some of the youngsters this will be their one and only chance to impress the Wild coaches before they head to the AHL or back to juniors. The lineup making the trip is:
Forwards:
Jason Zucker
Erik Haula
Nino Niederreiter
Torrey Mitchell
Kyle Brodziak
Matt Cooke
Jake Dowell
David Steckel
Carson McMillan
Justin Fontaine
Tyler Graovac
Zack Phillips
Kris Foucault
Defense:
Keith Ballard
Clayton Stoner
Jonathon Blum
Steven Kampfer
Mathew Dumba
Jon Landry
Nate Prosser
Goalies:
The Blue Jackets are going with a veteran line up tonight including former Wild superstar Marian Gaborik, Jack Skille, Artem Anisimov, Blake Comeau and James Wisniewski. This will be a good test for tonight’s Wild lineup, playing against a roster full of experienced NHL players.
Forwards:
Jack Skille – Ryan Craig – Blake Comeau
Marian Gaborik – Brandon Dubinsky – Derek Mackenzie
Cam Atkinson – Cody Bass – Boone Jenner
Michael Chaput – Artem Anisimov – Nick Foligno
Defense:
Jack Johnson – Tim Erixon
James Wisniewski – Ryan Murray
Dalton Prout – Fedor Tyutin
Goalies:
I’ll be back after the game with a recap of tonight’s action. The game is not on television but is on the radio and available at Wild.com.