The offense has been there for the Minnesota Wild through their first two games, but the defense was a little loose in their last outing. The Los Angeles Kings are in town to kick off a back-to-back start to the week for Minnesota.
Game #2: Los Angeles Kings (1-2-0) at Minnesota Wild (1-1-0)
Location: Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul
TIme: 7:00 PM CST
TV/Stream: FDSNNO, FDSNW, FDSNWI, ESPN+
Opposing Point of View: Rink Royalty
What to Watch For:
Danila Yurov is set to make his debut tonight, sliding into the line-up in place of Hunter Haight. It’s another rookie debut for the Wild as the 21-year-old will skate in his first NHL game after 209 games in the KHL. There was a lot of hope that Yurov would cement a spot in the line-up in training camp, especially with the injury to Nico Sturm, but an up-and-down performance kept him from securing the spot.
Yurov has the tenacity and puck-hounding skills should play well in a bottom-six role, but he has to adjust to the quicker pace of the NHL. Coach John Hynes decided to go with Haight to begin the season due to his familiarity with the North American game after spending last season in the AHL.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have a couple of young players competing for a spot in the line-up. While Yurov has the skills to play up the roster, the Wild’s top nine is pretty well set (especially once Mats Zuccarello returns). Hynes is looking for the player who gives him the most consistent effort, offense is secondary. Both of them, along with Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and David Jiricek, are going to make mistakes. It’s what rookies do. The ones that limit their errors and learn from them are going to get the most ice time.
Yurov may also inject some life into a fourth line that has struggled a bit to start the season. The trio of Ohgren, Haight, and Vinnie Hinostroza have struggled to drive play as the Wild have just 30.77% of the scoring chances when they’re on the ice and 22.2% of the high-danger chances.
In 18:43 of 5v5 time, Haight has yet to register a shot attempt or a scoring chance. He’s winning just 43.75%, so it’s been a bit of a rough start for him. A night in the press box might be good for him to catch his breath and get a different perspective on the game.
Jesper Wallstedt in net
The back-up gets his first start of the season against an L.A. team that is struggling to generate 5v5 offense early in the season as they’ve posted a 1.89 xGF/60 through three games. Wallstedt wants to show the Wild (and the rest of the league) that the struggles he had last year were a one-off.
Minnesota may have decided that Filip Gustavsson is their current number one netminder, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change. Plus, it never hurts for a team to have two really, really good goaltenders on the roster. Boston showed that when they had Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark on the roster at the same time.
It can also make Hynes’ job easier if he can manage the workload for Gustavsson, who will likely be heading to the Olympics in February.
Who to Watch on the Kings
Anze Kopitar - 3 assists. It’s been 20 seasons for Kopitar, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down as he’s posted three helpers through the Kings first three games. The future hall-of-famer is retiring at the end of the season, but he’s not coasting through his final tour through the league.
Quinton Byfield - 1 goal, 1 assist. While Kopitar is winding things down, the 23-year-old Byfield is coming into his own. He’s posted back-to-back 20-goal/50-point seasons and is becoming a bigger part of the Kings’ offense. His lone goal so far this season showed off his skill and speed.