Minnesota Wild (25-23-8) vs Winnipeg Jets (26-26-6)
Xcel Energy Center @ 7:00 PM CSTTelevision: FSN
Listen Live at: KFAN (100.3) or Wild.com
For the Winnipeg perspective, check out Arctic Ice Hockey
| Minnesota Wild | Winnipeg Jets |
| Devin Setoguchi - Mikko Koivu - Dany Heatley Nick Schultz - Jared Spurgeon Niklas Backstrom | Andrew Ladd - Bryan Little - Blake Wheeler Tobias Enstrom - Dustin Byfuglien Ondrej Pavelec |
If you head over to Arctic Ice Hockey, you can converse with the head of the stats based analysis movement. The rest of us will be over here, trying to avoid a lecture as best we can.
Plenty of story lines in this one. Antti Miettinen returns to the X for the first time since returning to the NHL. Generally, the return of former players is something to wonder about. How will they be received? With there be cheers? Boos? With Miettinen, the prediction has to be... complete apathy. Although, for the fans sitting in the upper deck, watch for flying pucks, folks. Mittens is back, baby.
Zach Bogosian was going to be held to account for his disgustingly dirty hit against Pierre-Marc Bouchard in the waning moments of the match up in Winnipeg. Bouchard was injured, returned in a later game, and was then forced out with a concussion. A concussion that can only point to the hit from Bogosian as a cause. Of course, Bogosian avoided punishment from Brendan Shanahan since he did meet the Kangaroo Court's steps to avoid suspension. Unfortunately, Bogosian has a "lower body injury" so he's out for tonight. Honestly, a smart move by Noel.
Past that, there are two teams just outside the playoff bubble hoping to find the two points they need to climb closer. The Wild are, in a word, bad. The Jets, not much better. Neither side wants to lose, and both sides should know it will get physical. The game in Winnipeg was a great example of how much fun this rivalry could be.
That is, as long as the stats say it's a good rivalry.
Enjoy the game.
Five Questions:
- With Zidlicky out, does Lundin get a shot to prove his worth?
- The Wild have lost to the best, and the worst. Can they avoid losing to the mediocre?
- Can the Wild score more than one goal?
- Is this the game someone steps up for the Wild?
- What happens when two teams no one cares about play a game?