Minnesota Wild hope to celebrate Ryan Suter's 1000th game with a win

It will be electric inside the Xcel Energy Center as Minnesota Wild assistant captain Ryan Suter is expected to play in his 1000th NHL game.

The Minnesota Wild has to be confident right now after winning their last three games. With wins over the Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars and a big overtime comeback against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Wild’s streak could easily continue through tonight as the desperate Los Angeles Kings come to St. Paul.

Going into the Minnesota Wild’s ninth game of the season, we are learning early on that this team likes to take first periods off. Through eight games they have scored first only twice in the first period.

The good news is this team seems to be thriving under pressure. Per Dan Myers on the team’s official website; the Minnesota Wild are 4-1-1 when trailing after the first period.

More from Editorials

Ryan Suter will reach his third milestone of the season, playing in his 1000th NHL game. Last week, he recorded a goal and an assist against the Dallas Stars reaching the 500 point mark.

On October 13th, Ryan Suter registered his 100th power play point with an assist against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Only 109 NHL defenseman have played in a 1000 games which make this feat even more impressive.

He will join five other current and former Minnesota Wild players who reached the 1000 game mark in a Wild jersey.

The list includes Eric Staal. Keith Carney, Andrew Brunette, Matt Cooke, and Matt Cullen.

The year of the milestone could keep rolling for the Wild as Eric Staal and Zach Parise approach milestones in their NHL playing careers as well. Staal needs three more goals to reach 400 for his career. Parise needs just five more points to reach the 700 point club.

Devan Dubnyk play has been stellar this season. In his last 5 starts he is (3-0-2) with a 2.12 GAA and a .944 save percentage.

Opponent: Los Angeles Kings

The dismal start to the Kings season continues coming off a 4-2 loss to the Stars on Tuesday night in Dallas. The Kings now sit last in the Western Conference with 5 points and a (2-6-1) record. On a five-game losing streak, the Kings are in desperate need of a win in St. Paul.

Former University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog, Alex Iafallo leads the Kings in scoring so far with 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points in 9 games.

According to Daily Faceoff, goaltender Jack Campbell will likely start in favor of veteran Jonathan Quick. Campbell went 2-3-0 with a GAA of 2.69 and a .922 SV% whilst Quick was injured. Quick has struggled this season with a record of 0-3-1 and a 4.55 GAA.

This team is built to win now, but they have looked horrible so far this season. It will be interesting to see if this roster full of grizzled veterans can turn it around before its too late.

The Rundown

Puck Drop: 7:08 p.m. Central time
Radio: KFAN FM and affiliates
Watch: Fox Sports North; Fox Sports app
All-Time Record vs. Kings: 28-19-15 (15-8-8 at Excel Energy Center, 13-11-7 at Los Angeles)
17-18: Wild went (0-1-3) vs. Kings last season

Team Series Leaders

Wild: Koivu leads Minnesota with 37 points (11-26=37) in 39 games against Los Angeles.
Kings: Kopitar has 34 points (11-23=34) 42 games vs. Wild
Wild Goalies vs. Kings: Dubnyk is 7-5-2 with a 2.52 GAA and a .922 SV% in 15 games vs. the Kings. Alex Stalock is 0-2-1 with a 2.93 GAA and a .889 SV%.
Kings Goalies vs. Wild: Quick is 13-7-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .897 SV% vs. the Wild. Jack Campbell is yet to play against Minnesota.

Injuries:

Wild: Joel Eriksson Ek – lower body; Matt Hendricks – lower body
Kings: Jonny Brodzinski – upper body; Dustin Brown – upper body

dark. Next. Mario Kempe worth a waivers claim to add speed?

As always, we’re in for a cracker of a night, not least with Ryan Suter marking a huge career milestone. Let’s hope the team can bring home two points on his night.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com and dailyfaceoff.com.

Home/Editorials

Minnesota Wild look to keep winning in Ryan Suter’s 1000th game

By Andrew Lennox | Oct 25, 2018