What a great week for our beloved Wild, turning in a 3-1-0 record (six points in the standings), getting revenge on the Blackhawks, kicking the Predators while they are down, and finding their way to the top of the division, conference, and league standings. Add in Thanksgiving, and we are talking about some pretty exciting stuff.
So, for this week's edition of The State of Hockey… In The State of Hockey, I give you six glimpses into what many call a hockey-imbalanced brain, one for each point we scored in the standings… Did I mention recently that I really love the Wild?
-Filip Gustavsson turned in a fantastic shoutout performance in Buffalo this week in a high-contested defensive dual. After stopping all 39 shots he faced, the goalie was, without a doubt, the most significant factor in the Wild getting the win. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's performance was nearly equally magnificent, but it is hard for a mere mortal man to stop the Russian Hockey God Kirill Kaprozov, who scored early in the contest to set the final score. I can imagine Filip in the locker room after the first period, thanking the guys for the offensive help but telling them he had it all under control for the rest of the game.
-I am so confused about the Nashville Predators. They are just absolutely stacked on paper. Josi… Forsberg… Stamkos… Marchessault… O'Reilly… and Saros in goal… I really can't believe that these guys are sitting at 7-12-6. Don't get me wrong… the misfortunes and struggles of the Preds pleases me very much… Even more so since I attended a Wild/Preds game in Nashville last season, and we got lit up. They kept playing that stupid Tim McGraw "I Like It. I Love It" song after each of their six unanswered goals in their win 6-1. Sitting there listening to an arena full of delighted fans, I imagined terrible things for their hockey club. I am pleased to announce that it has finally come to fruition. If the Predators organization has a panic button, they must have pressed it a lot, and if this club doesn't get it all figured out soon, this crazy off-season spending spree will be for nothing… which would be fine.
-Declan Chisholm has established himself as a player you want on the ice every night out, rising from what many perceived earlier in the season as a lineup toss-up with Jon Merrill. With the injury to Jonas Brodin, Declan is now on the second defensive line with Wild Captain Jared Spurgeon, has even seen some time on the top power-play unit, and is catching the eye of hockey pundits who keep close tabs on the Wild. All this comes from a wavier-wire pickup in a poor situation in Winnipeg that was not conducive to his development. It makes you wonder what will happen with David Jiricek's development. Can you imagine a list of six defensemen, including Faber, Middleton, Spurgeon, Brodin, Jiricek, and Chisholm (with Bogo as the seventh guy)? This would give Hockey Lord Johnny Stache Merrill much more time to tend to his facial hair and whatever other ambitions he has off the ice… I repeat… off the ice.
-Did you know that a 40-year-old goalie has a 5-0-1 record and a 2.64 gga thus far this season? I have a feeling if you are reading this, you probably do. So, how exciting is it to see Fleury overcome the lack of ice time to turn in stellar stats as a second goalie for what is emerging as one of the premier NHL organizations? So Marc-André… I make my plea again. Don't retire. Just don't. If any reader knows him… make sure he gets this message, because I am confident it will change his mind. Because why wouldn't he listen to someone he doesn't know who once despised him? I mean, really…
-In a recent poll conducted by NHL.com, Kirill Kaprizov is a resounding favorite at the quarter mark of the season to win the coveted Hart Trophy. Using a 5-4-3-2-1 scoring system, Kirill was picked first by thirteen of the fifteen included panelists and had 73 total points, putting him well ahead of the Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon (49 points). Kaprizov also outpaced other NHL superstars like Nikita Kucherov, Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, and Calen Addison (kidding…). In celebration of Kirill's early recognition as the greatest player in the world, I have begun to construct a children's story for adults (you will get it when you read it) about Kirill and his journey to elite superstar status. It will probably be awesome… wait… probably not.
-Am I the only one who was thrilled to see Marcus Foligno engage in fisticuffs for the first time this season? Over the last three seasons, Moose has averaged .124 fights per game, including a ten-fight season in 2021-22. Now, at age 33 and in his fourteenth NHL season, are we beginning to see a kinder, gentler Marcus Foligno? One fight in 24 games puts him at .041 fights per game average for the season, so what gives? For some reason, I feel that there is a bit of calming influence from John Hynes, and a lot of these types of things (along with boneheaded penalties) have begun to wane within the team… well, except for Ryan Hartman… who does more than his fair share of boneheaded-type things. Foligno isn't even going to catch Tie Domi for the NHL record for career fights (Domi has 339), but I believe the willingness to punch someone in the face still exists inside Moose.
Results For Week Seven Predictions
Prediction #1: We will defeat the Winnipeg Jets.
Result: Wrong… Connor Hellebuyck is good and stops a lot of shots on goal… 43 that night to be precise. I pray we figure him out at some point… like in the playoffs this year.
Prediction #2: Two more Wild players join the ten-point club for the season.
Result: Correct… I was sweating this one. Joel Eriksson Ek had a great week, scoring four points to run his total to thirteen. Then, out of nowhere, comes Jared Spurgeon. Starting the week at six points, Spurgeon scored three goals and had one assist over the weekend to put him squarely on the ten-point mark. Plus, he had his birthday and hosted the team's Thanksgiving meal.
Prediction #3: We get revenge against the Chicago Blackhawks and win at home against them
Result: Correct… It always feels good to beat the Blackhawks… Always.
Prediction #4: Marco Rossi breaks the twenty-point barrier.
Result: Wrong… With only two points in the week's four games, Rossi fell just short and sits at nineteen.
Prediction #5: Jacob Middleton scores at least two points this week.
Result: Wrong… I believed this was a lock after Middleton put us up 1-0 with his goal in the first game of the week against the Jets. Not so fast… I'm not mad at him, I suppose.
Ok… 2-3 was not what I was looking for here. The Jets pick was a bit iffy, but I felt good about the other four predictions. It took Spurgeon's huge effort to get me to 2-3 for the week, so not my best showing for sure. But when your team ends the week as the league leader in points (tied) for the season, you mustn't feel too sorry for yourself. Now sitting at 21-14, I am a .600 predictor, which I assume puts me on the "Predictor to Watch" list in the May 1985 edition of the now defunct "Hockey Digest."
Next Week's Five Predictions…
-Marcus Foligno decides that getting in a fight last week felt good and he gets into another.
-With a back-to-back in California this weekend, we will see Fleury in goal, and Fleury will win.
-The Minnesota Wild will not trade for Calen Addison this week. I'm taking a freebie because it has been a dream of mine to include two references to Addison in one writing.
-Boldy, Faber, and Eriksson Ek all hit the +10 mark for the season.
-Kirill Kaprizov breaks the 40-point mark, Matt Boldy breaks the 25-point mark, Marco Rossi breaks the 20-point mark, and Marcus Johansson breaks the 10-point mark.
Non-Hockey Announcement For General Entertainment
Ok… Ok… I'm trying something new here… one non-hockey-related announcement per week. Believe me, these are not going to be life-altering. So… here it goes.
-The McRib is back… and it is a true sign that in our twisted world, there is still a sliver of glory… besides the Minnesota Wild Hockey Club. They taste outstanding. Intestingingly enough, when I ordered mine, the lady behind the counter was wicked pissed at me for asking for it without slivered onions… and then put them on there anyway.