Wild vs. Canadiens: GREEF line takes another hit ahead of Montreal trip
By Tim Johnson
Bally Sports North . 20-45-11. 152. 6 p.m. . 47-21-7. 98. Tuesday, April 19. Wild -1.5
Two-thirds of the Minnesota Wild’s productive GREEF line won’t be on the ice for Tuesday night’s matchup at Centre Bell Arena.
Jordan Greenway remains sidelined with an upper-body injury and his linemate, Marcus Foligno, was scratched for the game as he was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list on Monday. That leaves center Joel Eriksson Ek as the only member of the line who will play as the Wild look to extend a five-game point streak.
The game is also the Wild’s final matchup against an Eastern Conference opponent in the regular season.
The Wild recalled forward Mitchell Chaffee from Iowa with Foglino out of the lineup. He has 22 goals and 37 points in 45 games this season with Iowa, and has eight power-play goals. He has nine goals and 13 points in his last 11 games.
Chaffee, 24, who played for the University of Massachusetts, is making his NHL debut and will sport No. 63. He is paired on a line with Connor Dewar and Bradon Duhaime.
Mitch Chaffee will make his #mnwild and NHL debut tonight on a line with Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar.
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) April 19, 2022
“It’s exciting,” Chaffee said. “You dream of this day. I’m finally excited it’s here, and I’m looking to go out there and make a difference.” pic.twitter.com/hvF9TJKnI2
The Wild head into Montreal without defensemen Matt Dumba and Jon Merrill, both who are still sidelined with upper-body injuries. Forward Tyson Jost suffered an lower-body injury against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday and sat out an overtime win against San Jose the next day.
Cam Talbot will get the start in net and has a 5-2-1 mark with a 1.61 goals against average and a .940 save percentage in his career against Montreal.
Cam Talbot is 10-0-3 in his past 14 appearances (13 starts) with no regulation losses since March 1....2.51 goals-against average, .913 save percentage in that span. Couple "tough go's" vs. Blues make the last two numbers a little less stellar
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 19, 2022
Minnesota has a nine-game winning streak against the Canadiens and outscored Montreal 36-10 over that span.
The Wild beat Montreal 8-2 in the first meeting this season on Jan. 24 at the Xcel Energy Center.
Betting odds
WynnBET has Minnesota favored by 1.5 goals in the second and last meeting between the teams this season. Minnesota also has the major edge on the moneyline at -260. The Canadiens are the underdog at +22 and the over/under for the matchup is listed at 6.5 goals.
Upcoming Wild schedule
Thursday, April 21: Vancouver, 7 p.m. CST
Friday, April 22: Seattle, 7 p.m. CST
Sunday, April 24: @Nashville, 7 p.m. CST