Minnesota Wild (8-5-3) vs Anaheim Ducks (6-7-3)
Honda Center @ 7:00PM CDT Television: FSN
Listen Live at: KFAN (100.3) or Wild.com
For the Anaheim perspective, check out Anaheim Calling
| Minnesota Wild | Anaheim Ducks |
Nick Johnson - Mikko Koivu - Dany Heatley | Bobby Ryan = Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry Toni Lydman - Lubomir Visnovsky Jonas Hiller |
Is anyone under the impression this is going to go well tonight? The coach is... displeased. The players... lost. The "team"... non existent. The Wild have until 7PM central time to figure out what it is they are going to do to pull out of the tail spin. Teams are flexing their muscle, and the Wild are out of their system because of it. Are they scared? Confused? Untrusting? No one really knows but them, and they aren't saying.
Whatever the problem is, they don't get long in the NHL to figure it out. They can either go into their shell and pretend it didn't happen, or they can come out tonight and play their you know whats off and show that they are angry about their performance in the past two games.
The lineup above? Don't put much stock in it. Writing this at 10AM, I doubt even Mike Yeo knows what the lineup looks like tonight. Scandella is out, so unless they call some one up, factor in Clayton Stoner.
Your starter for tonight? I would go Backstrom, but remember, he played the second half of the game. He played well, but as of this writing, it could go either way.
Enjoy the game. At least it's on at a decent time.
Five Questions:
- How do the Wild respond to the embarrassment of last night?
- Can the Wild hope to finally contain the Ducks top line?
- Paging Mr. Anyone, Mr. Anyone, your teammates need you. Care to show up?
- Can the Wild get any points from the California leg of the trip?
- PIMs for the Wild. Over under set at 15. What you got?