Minnesota Wild (26-24-9) vs Florida Panthers (35-19-2)
Bank Atlantic Center @ 6:30 PM CSTTelevision: FSN
Listen Live at: KFAN (100.3) or Wild.com
For the Florida perspective, check out Litter Box Cats
| Minnesota Wild | Florida Panthers |
| Devin Setoguchi - Kyle Brodziak - Dany Heatley Nick Schultz - Jared Spurgeon Niklas Backstrom | Tomas Kopecky - Stephen Weiss - Kris Versteeg Brian Campbell - Erik Gudbranson Jose Theodore |
Flip a coin. Heads the Wild from the Bruins game show up, tails, the Wild that lost to the Blue Jackets twice in a week. It's a 50-50 shot at this point.
The Wild show these flashes of brilliance, only to let down the fans. They have struggled mightily on the road, and are headed into a game against a Southeast Division opponent. Why is the division important? Because the SE has been terrible lately, save for the Hurricanes. If one team were to want it, the division could be theirs. No one has done so.
The game will, if nothing else, give Wild fans a chance to see Jose Theodore, and potentially John Madden, players they put a great deal of faith in last year. There will be plenty of story lines to watch, with the number of ties between the teams going far outside former players.
As for the game itself, the Wild put out a lineup eerily similar to one they would have used at this point last season. It is also a lineup that beat the Boston Bruins. So, there's that.
Two teams looking to claw their way back into the race. WHich team wants it more will determine who gets it.
Five Questions:
- Wild from the Bruins game or WIld from the Jackets games?
- The Wild won with Zidlicky in the line up. Is the curse broken?
- Is the sheer presence of Matt Hacket enough to help?
- Which direction are the Wild leaning for Monday?
- Does the finger pointing stop, or get fired back up?