Minnesota Wild: The Opening Faceoff 7 Mar 17

Yesterday the Minnesota Wild enjoyed an upbeat practice carrying over the good vibes from an excellent win over the Sharks on Sunday. A late injury update and a call down of Tyler Graovac to Iowa were the big stories from an otherwise low key day as the Wild prepare for Mike Yeo and the Blues tonight.

Here’s the lineup card for this morning’s opening faceoff.

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1) Christian Folin will be out for a minimum of three weeks: After suffering an undisclosed upper-body injury in Sunday’s game in, it was announced late yesterday that Christian Folin will be out of the Wild lineup for a minimum of three weeks. The team still has not disclosed the specifics of his injury, but my guess is were looking at a fracture or possible break of some kind on that right arm. Expect today that the Wild make a decision to call-up Reilly or Olofsson to take his place on the roster, with Folin headed to IR.

Feb 21, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) makes a save in the first period against the Minnesota Wild forward Tyler Graovac (44) at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

2) Tyler Graovac sent back down to Iowa: I wrote a story about this yesterday afternoon, and considering Graovac had a strong four games in his latest stint, this move was not really made because of his play. The Wild need cap space for flexibility and the additions of Hanzal and White have effectively taken Graovac’s lineup spot. Also Iowa could use Battery as they march towards the AHL playoffs.

3) Wild take on shaky Blues tonight at the X: By all accounts this is a Blues team that is far from the juggernaut of St. Louis’ recent past. They are 5-5-0 in their last ten games and may have won their last tilt but it was against the awful Colorado Avalanche. Still they are motivated as they currently sit in the last Wild Card spot in the West and will need to keep their foot on the gas till the end with a re-tooled Kings squad right on their tail.

Feb 2, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Mike Yeo watches from the bench during the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

4) Mike Yeo will be behind the visitors’ bench at the X: This story will never get old. Mike Yeo is forever in the fabric of the Wild franchise so it’s still weird to see him coach an opposing team. The consensus between Yeo, his former Wild players, and the Wild organization is there is no bad blood. Yeo has said on multiple occasions that he understands his firing, and almost all of the Wild players have nothing but good things to say about Yeo. Still you’ve got to think that Yeo relishes the chance to play and possibly beat his old team…he’s only human.

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5) Devan Dubnyk takes over NHL lead in goaltender wins: Sunday’s win was big for Dubnyk. He’s now the NHL leader in goaltender wins at 35 and save percentage at .933. Those are Vezina type numbers right now, but it looks like a new challenger has arisen. No longer is Carey Price looking like Dubs’ rival for the best goaltender crown, the new challenger looks to be Braden Holtby of the Caps. Holtby is leading the NHL in goals against at 1.93 and shutouts at 8. Keep an eye on Holtby as we go into the last month of the season.

Next: Graovac’s Demotion Not About His Play

That’s about it for now. Look for a possible defensive call-up from Iowa this afternoon, and of course it’s game day so look to see if Boudreau shuffles his lines a bit in practice this morning. More to come, and enjoy your day.

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