The State of Hockey... In the State of Hockey (Week Four Edition)

Do any other Minnesota Wild fans have a permasmile plastered on their face over the team's performance last week? Victories over the Penguins, Lightning, and the Maple Leafs allowed the Wild to add six points to their already impressive total for the season. So, has this group solidified their place among the league's elite?

Wild catalyst Kirill Kaprizov's run of two-point games finally ended at seven, but what a streak it was for the Wild winger. In commemorating the hard work and excellent play of "The Thrill," this week's edition of "The State of Hockey… In The State of Hockey" will entail seven takeaways. Please enjoy…

-Jake Middleton was on my naughty list at the beginning of the season. I was more than displeased with his four-year, $17.4 million extension the Wild gave him, and I couldn't find any place in my entire mind that I could spin it and make it feel like it was good. Middleton looked slow and not very good at the season's opening, and he had moved dangerously close to leaving my Minnesota Wild Circle of Trust entirely. I was, to put it politely, less than impressed with him. But behold, quality play over the past few weeks has moved Middleton to the fringe of my Inner Circle of Minnesota Hockey Excellence and Trustworthiness. This isn't something to be taken lightly, as few players have entered it wholly, and even fewer have stayed. Eight points on the season and a +/- of nine? He's knocking on that door.

-Watching the Wild rally around Marc-André Fleury during his last game in Pittsburgh was a beautiful sight. After falling behind early, "The Flower" shook off his nerves to fully embrace the opportunity and the rest of the team looked as if they were going to score as many goals as necessary to win. Fleury is obviously the number two goalie for the Wild, but at this point, he is so much more to this team than a netminder.

-Kirill Kaprizov has been on the brink of superstardom for a couple of seasons, and despite being a three-time all-star, he has never finished any higher than seventh in the voting for the Hart. Hockey fans know him as one of the finest players in the league, but those fans on the periphery frankly do not have a complete understanding of his abilities. Granted, better seasons and playoff series victories for the Wild would push Krill into the upper echelon of the NHL's superstars, but the way he has been playing thus far in 2024-25, it is quite apparent this is where he deserves to be.

-After Filip Gustavsson's hiccup in Philly on October 26th, Gus rebounded nicely and put up two fantastic efforts in two significant home wins for the Wild. Winning against both Tampa Bay and Toronto, Gustavsson's stat line for the season is Vezinaesque… 6-1-1… .933 SV%… 2.16 GGA… it seems that Filip came into this season better prepared to reproduce his success of 2022-23. We certainly can't disregard his relationship with Fleury and how the legend has become such a vital part of Gustavsson's hockey life. I'm still not altogether convinced Gus' inconsistency woes are over… but I want to.

-Liam Öhgren is now in Des Moines, playing for the Iowa Wild. I can only imagine this is not what he wanted, but it was apparent that this was needed. We all know how a similar trip to Iowa helped Marco Rossi's development, but it might be too far back for us to remember franchise cornerstone Joel Eriksson Ek in a similar situation. The Wild center spent two separate stints in Iowa during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, and given how advantageous it is to have him on the ice today, a trip down doesn't mean all doom and gloom.

-Jared Spurgeon winning the race to the puck in the Wild's 2-1 OT win over the Maple Leafs and rifling a beautiful pass to Rossi, who in turn tapped it to Boldy for the game-winner was a thing of pure beauty. It rapidly placed among my top ten favorite Wild moments, primarily due to Spurgeon. After everything he has been through injury-wise, seeing him make a play like this was remarkable.

-The Tampa Bay Lightning would need at least seven Nikita Kucherovs to beat the Wild… ok… I'm exaggerating, but the Lightning are finished as a Stanley Cup contender and are keen for a rebuild. I guess three cup finals during this current run are adequate for the hockey fans of Tampa… no one feels sorry for you, and your state doesn't deserve the magnificent game anyway.

Results From Week Three Predictions

Prediction #1: Marc-André Fleury wins in his final trip to Pittsburgh.

Result: Correct… After giving up the first two goals of the contest, the Wild rattled off four straight and eventually won 5-3 to get Fleury the win. Marc-André settled in after his rough start and the Wild were dialed in to ensure he left Pittsburgh a winner.

Prediction #2: With two Wild players that have broken the ten-point barrier for the season (Kaprizov; Boldy), Zuccy and Rossi will both join them by the end of the week.

Result: Correct… Zuccy had a strong week as he posted a goal and two assists, which put him at eleven points in the season. Rossi had three assists and now sits at ten points.

Prediction #3: Kirill Kaprizov picks up two points in Pittsburgh and runs his streak of two-point games to six consecutive.

Result: Correct… Kaprizov had three points versus the Penguins (one goal and two assists) to extend his streak, and then he took it a game further when he had another three-point output a couple of nights later against the Lightning (two goals and one assist). Hey, hockey world… come look and see how great Krill Kaprizov is…

Prediction #4: For some reason… I'm seeing the Wild get at least five points in the week's three games.

Result: Correct… Not five… but six points on the week while picking up three wins. Sweeping the Lightning felt tremendous, and then beating the Maple Leafs in OT… damn, the Wild are legit.

Prediction #5: Either Middleton. Foligno, or Bogosian gets in the Wild's first fight of the season.

Result: Wrong… Brock Faber? Yeah… I did not have that on my bingo card. In what universe does this guy break the fisticuffs seal? And then Lauko? Strange times we are living in.

Wow… another 4-1 week makes me a Level One Apprentice in my quest to become the Master Fantastic Maker of Predictions Man. My overall season total now sits at a handsome 11-4, and I have to believe that a call from TNT is coming soon to host a segment as a part of their national NHL broadcasts.

Next Week's Five Predictions…

-The Wild will win three of their four games this week. I see the Kings winning in St. Paul and playing back-to-back in California (and a rested Ducks team) will make for a challenge. Perhaps it will play out differently, but I don't see us losing twice.

-Jake Middleton will not have a +/- game under zero all week.

-Marc-André Fleury will pick up career win 564 in goal at some point this week.

-Jonas Brodin still won't score his first goal of the season.

-Jake Middleton becomes the next Wild player to break the ten-point barrier for the season.