The Wild faceoff against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight in what will be their most important game of the season thus far.
We can all agree that the game in Phoenix was a must win for the Minnesota Wild. I don’t think many of us thought that the game would be decided in a shootout, but the two points was huge. Credit is due to the Phoenix Arizona Coyotes, as Zach Parise explained, they played the Wild very well for most of the game. Not only was the win needed, but in my opinion, it was very impressive given the roster the Wild had at puck drop versus the lineup they were expecting during warm ups. Ryan Carter suffered an upper body injury and Jared Spurgeon was out with flu-like symptoms. All of this prompted immediate lineup changes, still, the Wild were able to secure two big points.
Which brings is to the last spot of the three-game road trip – Chicago. The red-hot Blackhawks have won 9 of their last 10 games, 6 of those wins were on the road. The Blackhawks are 6th in the league in goals scored per game (2.9), 2nd in goals against average (2.0), and first in penalty kill percentage (90.9). The Blackhawks, however, will be without their top defensemen Duncan Keith due to illness and Corey Crawford is still sidelined with a foot injury he suffered at a concert.
Dec 13, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom (32) is congratulated by forward Zach Parise (11) and forward Mikael Granlund (64) after beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 in a shootout at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
So how do the Wild beat the Blackhawks in the United Center? First, they will need to be very strong defensively. Getting Marco Scandella back is a huge boost, but being without Jared Spurgeon will back things up a bit. Christian Folin and Jonas Brodin have played very well together as a pairing so far. Nate Prosser has also looked very good at times, though still seems to make costly mistakes at times. It’ll be interesting to see if Coach Mike Yeo moves Scandella up with Ryan Suter or moves Brodin up with Suter and Scandella with Folin. Much to be seen here. Regardless, look for Brodin, Suter, and Scandella to log a ton of ice time tonight.
Another story-line in tonight’s game is Brett Sutter‘s first game in a Wild sweater. With Ryan Carter and Matt Cooke still out, this is a great opportunity for him to get some quality time with the Wild. He will likely play fourth line with Justin Fontaine and Kyle Brodziak. Last side-note, Darcy Kuemper will get the start tonight, Niklas Backstrom is expected to start tomorrow as he has historically played very well against the Boston Bruins, as reported by Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
Watch Brett Sutter’s pregame interview here:
The Wild will need to be quick and they will need to take advantage of every opportunity, because the Blackhawks will not give away many. During last year’s regular season campaign, the Wild put up a strong record against the Blackhawks. They went 3-1-1 during the season, 1-0-1 in Chicago. Historically, the Wild are 30-19-3 against the Blackhawks, 13-10-2 in Chicago. Tonight’s match-up marks the first of 5 meetings this season.
Here are my three bold predictions for tonight’s game.
1. Marco Polo. Marco Scandella will be fired up tonight after missing the last two games because of a suspension. Not only will he create havoc with his massive slap shot, he will be all over the ice defending will and creating turnovers in the defensive end. I don’t typically predict that a defensemen will score a goal, but I like Scandella tonight. I think we will be hearing his name called a lot.
2. Parise. This guy has been tearing it up in the last handful of games. If there is a player more determined to win right now, I would like to meet him, because Parise has been everywhere and he is playing with fire. If the Wild are going to win tonight, it is going to be because of Parise’s relentless play and his ability to make magic happen in the offensive zone. I like Parise for at least two points tonight. Whether that’s two goals or a goal and a helper, he will have to be the number one star of the game for the Wild to head him two points richer than when they came in.
3. Suits. Ryan Suter was recently named one of the three stars of the week, which was much deserved. Suter hasn’t missed a step since missing a couple games with the mumps. He will surpass 30 minutes again, and I like him getting a couple helpers tonight as well, maybe another funky deflection off Pominville. Look for the big boys to make a huge impact in tonight’s game.