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Minnesota Wild: A Win Over Winnipeg in Suter’s Return

By Cody Defoe

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 17: Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild defends his goal against Brandon Tanev #13 of the Winnipeg Jets in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xcel Energy Center on April 17, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 17: Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild defends his goal against Brandon Tanev #13 of the Winnipeg Jets in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xcel Energy Center on April 17, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Wild Ryan Suter
Minnesota Wild Ryan Suter /

ST PAUL, MN – OCTOBER 31: Ryan Suter #20 of the Minnesota Wild shoots the puck against the Winnipeg Jets during the game on October 31, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. The Jets defeated the Wild 2-1. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Ryan Suter

The story on Wednesday night, no matter where you looked, was headlined by the return of the Minnesota Wild’s top defensemen. Ryan Suter hit the ice for the first time since breaking his fibula on March 31st.

I was surprised, the news of Suter’s return already baffled me and I was left speechless prior to my pregame analysis yesterday. I was even more shocked when the game opened and Suter was hands-on responsible for 2 of the best scoring chances in the first.

With the game already 1-0, Suter first had an opportunity on a cross ice feed to a wide open Charlie Coyle, but Brossoit was able to get across and cut off any angle Coyle may have had. He then forced a good save from Brossoit on a hard shot from the point, before sending another blast looking for a tip from Staal that nearly beat the Jets backup.

With the game 3-2 for the Jets late in the third, Suter put his defense to work when it shouldn’t have been required. With the Wild on a powerplay, Suter got beat out of the zone on the back check and found himself chasing down a Jets 2-on-1 against Nino Niederreiter.

Niederreiter played the shooter, but the Brandon Tanev showed patience waiting out Nino before going for the cross ice pass. If there was any question about Suter’s ankle health, I think he answered it with the hustle he showed to get back on that play and break up the pass.

Staal took the loose puck and turned the momentum up ice, hitting Granlund who then found Zucker streaking in alone for the game tying goal. The hustle and back checking of Suter turned what could have been a 4-2 deficit into a 3-3 tie. It was a key moment in the game, and one to commend him for.

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Bruce Boudreau said after the game he thought Suter looked tentative to check in the defensive zone, but I personally can’t fault the guy for that. He is playing his first action, in a meaningless preseason game. Let him get up to speed and we’ll worry about him getting physical in the games that matter.

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