There are two games left in the regular season, but the Minnesota Wild still have something to play for. With the visitors Calgary Flames in town – against whom they have struggled this season – seeking home-field advantage in their first-round matchup against the St. Louis Blues will be difficult.
Outscored 12-4 in their two losses to the Flames, the Wild’s main weakness – their special teams – came to the forefront against a team that excels in that area. With the ninth-best powerplay and sixth-best penalty kill in the league (at 23.5% and 83.6%, respectively), the Flames scored five of their 12 goals on special teams, including a short-handed goal in the thrashing of the Wild in late February.The Flames have built their superiority on special teams on the strong performances of Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, the offensive engines of this team. With 39 goals and 113 points, Gaudreau, 28, is coming off the best season of his career, and it happens to be a contract year. Funny how that works.
Tkachuk resembles Joel Eriksson Ek – say that three times fast – in both the understatement of his offensive game (41 goals and 61 points) and his ability to get under absolutely everyone’s skin. If head coach Dean Evason has the GREEF line match up against Tkachuk, Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm, be prepared for some elite banter to ensue during the game and after the whistle.
On defense, the Flames are led by guys who seemed to be underachievers, but under Darryl Sutter in his first full season as head coach for the second time, they have turned their careers around. Noah Hanifin seemed lost at both ends of the ice. This season, he has emerged from a cocoon of mediocrity and become an elite defenseman. Since the March 21 trade deadline, Hanifin is averaging over a point per game, with four goals and 20 points in 18 games.
Oliver Kylington looks like exactly the best version of what he could have become when he was drafted; a dynamic offensive threat with nine goals and 31 points after spending years as a mid-level player, bouncing back and forth between the Flames and their AHL affiliate.
In net, Jacob Markstrom is expected to be seen, as he has started 62 of the Flames’ 80 games so far. Only Connor Hellebuyck, of the Winnipeg Jets and Jusse Saros of the Nashville Predators have more starts than Markstrom. He has been the backbone of the third-best defense in the NHL, as he ranks in the top three in save percentage and goals-against average and will undoubtedly finish in the top three in Vezina voting.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Cam Talbot will get his 49th start of the season, having won his last start vs. Vancouver Canucks.
Still, no Matt Dumba, Mats Zuccarello or Jared Spurgeon, though this is probably out of an abundance of caution and gives them a little more time to heal before the playoffs.
These teams are 8-1-1 in their last ten games and sit in first place in the Western Conference. Both are primed for a long playoff run, so it will be interesting to see how they use tonight as a tune-up game.
The puck will drop at 7:00 p.m. CT. See you then.
Burning questions
Does Kirill Kaprizov continue to expand the franchise’s records?
He has already set franchise records for goals, assists and points. With two goals and ten assists in the last five games, can Kirill continue this momentum for a few more games?
Will GREEF’s line be able to stop one of the NHL’s most potent lines?
After coming together for the game vs. Arizona CoyotesThe Arizona Coyotes, with Jordan Greenway, Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno, will have to face Tkachuk, Gaudreau and Lindholm. After letting the trio run wild in their previous two meetings – totaling four goals and 12 points – can the WIlds’ elite shutdown line handle Calgary’s best?
Reference-www.hockeywilderness.com