After all of the contract negotiation drama over the summer, it’s finally time for the Minnesota Wild to hit the ice as they head down to Missouri to take on the St. Louis Blues. The Wild open their 25th Anniversary campaign with a nice blend of youth and experience as they look to take their game up a level in the Western Conference.
The Details:
Game #1: Minnesota Wild (0-0-0) at St. Louis Blues (0-0-0)
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
TIme: 7:00 PM CST
TV/Stream: FDSNMW, FDSNNO, FDSNWIX, ESPN+
Opposing Point of View: Bleedin’ Blue
One number to watch: 2.07 Goals For Per 60 at 5v5
The Wild ranked 31st last season in GF/60 at 5v5 last season. In case you forgot, there are only 32 teams in the league. Yes, a big part of that was due to injuries to top-six forwards, but in order for the Wild to stay competitive in what might be the deepest division in the NHL, they are going to have to get goals from up and down the line-up.
Yes, Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi need to work their magic and score their 40 goals, but so do Vlad Tarasenko, Yakov Trenin, and the kids. Maybe we shouldn’t expect 30 goals from Liam Ohgren just yet, but a solid 10-15 from a gentleman playing on the fourth line would be a nice boost.
If the Wild can generate chances, and (more importantly) actually convert those chances, it’ll go a long way to keeping up with the powerhouses in the division. St. Louis, who had a staunch defense last season (2.31 xGA/60) will be a good test.
Making their debuts:
It looks like Hunter Haight is getting the nod over Danila Yurov and will make his NHL debut. Vladimir Tarasenko is set to make his Wild debut on the second line with Nick Foligno and Joel Eriksson Ek.
The Lines:
Kaprizov - Rossi - Boldly
Foligno - Eriksson EK - Tarasenko
Trenin - Hartman - Johansson
Ohgren - Haight - Hinostroza
Middleton - Faber
Buium - Spurgeon
Bogosian - Jiricek
Gustavsson
Wallstedt