Gone Puck Wild
Fansided

Wild vs Blackhawks: A Deep Dish Rivalry

By Austan Lundeen

Joel Eriksson Ek was inked to a massive extension with the Minnesota Wild this offseason and the center is expected to be one of the leaders for the team this season.
Joel Eriksson Ek was inked to a massive extension with the Minnesota Wild this offseason and the center is expected to be one of the leaders for the team this season. /
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Nov 7, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports /

Do you remember the days when Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Corey Crawford would knock the Minnesota Wild out of the playoffs for what seemed like a century? The days when Chicago always seemed to be a contender for Lord Stanley, and would inevitably always come out swinging each game? Yeah, those were the days us Wild fans hope to never return to, and thankfully the tables have turned, at least for now.

The Minnesota Wild are finally starting to be recognized as contenders, and Chicago continues to play well south of a playoff spot. So with that, are you ready to be reintroduced to a weekend full of old fashioned hockey?

Friday and Saturday will mark yet another home/home series for the two rivals as the Minnesota Wild kick off the back to back matchup making their way to deep dish pizza town USA for what will be an incredible two nights of hard hitting, old fashioned hockey. It’s a series that is always looked forward to by fans, and seems to always hold that magic, playoff atmosphere that we all love to witness.

Now, while Minnesota has had their fair share of players out with injury or COVID, it’s going to be a nice welcome back weekend as we get to witness Joel Erikkson-Ek return to the ice. And maybe, just MAYBE, we see captain Jared Spurgeon and netminder Cam Talbot lace up as well. Wouldn’t that be the dream?

The Minnesota Wild look to continue their impressive 4 game point streak against a red hot Chicago team led by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury this weekend, and with the return of most of our players, is this going to be the moment where we get back to showing the league who the real front runner is?

This team is deep, much deeper than any team we’ve seen in the past and deeper than any pizza the windy city has to offer, and Chicago’s gotta be ready, or it’s going to be a long weekend for the six time Stanley Cup champions.

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