The Minnesota Wild have returned to the playoffs for the 12th time in team history and the 9th time in the last 11 years.

Lets take a look at how the Wild have done this season!

Minnesota came into this season with lots of expectations to return to the playoffs after losing a 7 game series to Vegas last season. They have fulfilled this goal, now its on to the next one: winning a playoff series.

This year the Wild were able to win 53 games, which is a new franchise record, as well as record 113 points, another franchise record. This is only the 5th time in team history that they have recorded at least 100 points. On the season, the Wild are 53-22-7 and average 3.72 goals/game, 3.04 goals against/game, as well as 76.1% power play percentage. Minnesota went 12-2-2 in the month of April, continuing their streak of success. The Wild have rarely had a down moment this year, and are known to rarely lose a regular season matchup. If they do, its usually in overtime or a shootout. Minnesota also has a new face in goal, Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is a 3-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also played several seasons for the Vegas Golden Knights after that, and then recently goaltended for the downtrodden Chicago Blackhawks. In mid-March, Fleury was traded to Minnesota. He is 10-2 in a Wild sweater, and looks to somehow improve his playoff resume from previous years as he has now made the postseason with 3 different teams.

Their matchup: the St. Louis Blues. Not a team the Wild want to play. For context here is the summary of their regular season series:
January 1st (Winter Classic): vs. St. Louis L, 4-6
April 8th: @ St. Louis L/OT, 3-4
April 16th: @ St. Louis L/OT, 5-6

For the most part the Wild have not looked good against the Blues. The Winter Classic loss was really ugly until the 3rd period when the Wild made it close. But that was a different time for Minnesota, they were dealing with injuries in bunches and hadn't played a game in 2 weeks. When they met again, this time in St. Louis, on April 8th that was thought to be different. For much of the game the Wild were very stale, but made it interesting at the end and forced overtime. Same story for the third game. 
Minnesota hopes to turn the tide of their playoff history with this new influx of young talent. The Wild haven't advanced in the playoffs since the 2014-15 season when they bested the Blues in 6 games. They were swept by the cup-bound Blackhawks in the ensuing series. Minnesota has only advanced 3 times in their history. Last year was a surprise resurgence for the Wild, who were expected to rebuild and return in a year or two. This year the Wild are potentially favored in a series against the more recent archrival. Both teams do not like each other, and it will be quite the interesting series.

The Blues return their perennial best player in Vladimir Tarasenko, who bested the Wild last time they face each other in the postseason. Binnington also still goaltends for St. Louis. Meanwhile, Minnesota has their new franchise star in Russian wing Kirill Kaprizov, who has broken the franchise record for points and goals in a season (set by Marian Gaborik). It appears as though the Wild have a true superstar on their hands. He is signed long term for 6 years. Minnesota has prided themselves all season on fighting on the boards and having great goaltending down the stretch. That will be tested in this first round series.

Here is the series schedule:
Game 1: vs. St. Louis 5/2 8:30 PM CT (ESPN, BSN)
Game 2: vs. St. Louis 5/4 8:30 PM CT (ESPN, BSN)
Game 3: @ St. Louis 5/6 8:30 PM CT (TNT, BSN)
Game 4: @ St. Louis 5/8 3:30 PM CT (TBS, BSN)
Game 5: vs. St. Louis 5/10 TBD*
Game 6: @ St. Louis 5/12 TBD*
Game 7: vs. St. Louis 5/14 TBD*
*-If needed

It should be a fun series to watch! 

Go Wild!!

Sorry Wild fans for no season preview. I haven't paid too much attention to the Wild's preseason and I don't want to put out content I can't put myself behind. 

So here is the first update of the season on the Minnesota Wild!

Brief Preview and Recap
Last season the Wild finished 3rd in the special 2021 West Division and played the Vegas Golden Knights in the first series of the playoffs. They were able to give Vegas all they could handle, winning the first game of the series in Vegas, losing the next and the first at home, before winning 2 of the next three to force a game 7 in Vegas. The Wild lost by a very slim margin and many fans were upset with the ruling on the ice, but the Wild were eliminated in Game 7. However, last season was far from underwhelming. The Wild weren't even supposed to be contending for the playoffs let alone bringing Vegas to Game 7. The season was by far a success and a reminder that the Wild are not really out of it when they have Kaprizov and Fiala playing for them.
Over the offseason the goals for the Wild were to sign their big time free agents. They weren't able to come to an agreement with F Kevin Fiala, so arbitration settled it for a 1 year deal. In theory, the Wild will be looking to try to sign the 23 year old Fiala to a longer deal this year. Minnesota also resigned Calder winner Kirill Kaprizov to a 5 year multi million dollar deal right before training camp. They will have him for a while and better made good use out of him. The team also has several rookies down at the Iowa Wild AHL team waiting in the wings for their first NHL chance.

Successful West Coast Trip
Minnesota was scheduled to visit the West Coast briefly to begin the year, opening the season in Anaheim and LA. They were able to beat both teams by scores of 2-1 and 3-2. The game against the Ducks seemed to be a lot closer for most of the game since the scoring didn't start until the 2nd period. It was 1-1 going into the final 10 minutes at the Honda Center. However, assistant captain Marcus Foligno had other things to say about that and scored the game winning goal with 7.2 seconds to go in regulation! 
Minnesota picked up where they left off when they visited the Kings the next night at Staples Center. They didn't score first but they did score the most. After a 1-1 first period, the Wild came out with a 3-1 lead after the second period. It would have featured a 4th goal if interference wasn't called on the goal. The Kings made it close with their 2nd goal mid-way through the 3rd period, but the Wild pulled through and earned their 2nd win of the young season.

Expectations
The Minnesota Wild have much different expectations this year compared to last year. Now that we know this team can make the playoffs, I expect them to win enough games to secure a seed rather then a wild card. I also think they should be at least able to contend a series if not win the series. If they do, it will be the first time in at least 5 years they won a playoff series.

​Go Wild!!!!

The Minnesota Wild just finished their regular season campaign last night, concluding with two dud losses in St. Louis. Hopefully they won't see the Blues in the playoffs this year (cross your fingers). 

This is who they will face in the playoffs. Since Colorado held the tie breaker over Vegas, they take over the number 1 spot just in time for playoffs. This means Vegas drops to number 2, and the opponent in the Wild's return to the playoffs. I don't count the qualifying series in last year's expanded playoffs, some do but I don't see the value in it. So this means that the Wild have made the playoffs for the first time since 2018. 
The playoffs are laid out like this:
Each division's top 4 teams make the playoffs. The first two rounds consist of inter-division play. The first round consists of the number 1 seeded team playing the 4th seeded team, and the 2nd seeded team playing the 3rd seeded team. The second round will have the winners of those series playing each other to be the representative from their division. After that, I believe the West Division champion plays the North Division champion, and the Central Division champion playing the East Division champion. After that, the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Wild's first series against the Vegas Golden Knights will start on Sunday, May 16th. The schedule is as follows:
Game 1: Sunday, May 16 @ Vegas (2 PM CT) on NBC
Game 2: Tuesday, May 18 @ Vegas (9 PM CT) on NBCSN
Game 3: Thursday, May 20 vs. Vegas (8:30 PM CT) on NBCSN
Game 4: Saturday, May 22 vs. Vegas (7 PM CT) on NBC
Game 5: Monday, May 24 @ Vegas TBD, If needed
Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 vs. Vegas TBD, if needed
Game 7: Friday, May 28 @ Vegas TBD, if needed

All series this year return to the best of 7 format. Hopefully some good hockey this time around!
Leading up to the postseason the Wild are 35-16-5 overall on the year. They are 14-5-3 in the months of April and May. I believe that Kirill Kaprizov the rookie sensation still has his goal streak going, it should be 13 games at this point. I know for sure that it was 11 games up to the St. Louis dual games. 
In the regular season, the Wild are 5-1-2 against the Golden Knights with 2 of the three losses coming in Las Vegas, the other a loss at home towards the end of the year. So the Wild have a good shot to beat Vegas and advance to the winner of the Avalanche-Blues series.

Hopefully the Wild can continue their batch of winning games in the playoffs!
​Go Wild!

Prior to today's matchup, the Wild were cruising into their bid to return to the playoffs after a gap year last season.

In the month of April the Minnesota Wild are 10-3-1, with their four losses at the hands of the Avalanche (2nd in West) and the other 3 at the hands of the St. Louis Blues (4th in West). So it seems that the Wild's Achilles heal is the team in Blue, Yellow and White. Lets just hope we don't see them in the playoffs.

This year's playoffs are set up with the top 4 teams in each division getting a bid to the postseason. The first two rounds are inter-division play, the quarterfinal will pit the winner of each division against each other per conference.
This is how the all the divisions look currently, with the top 4 italicized. (x-clinched playoff spot, e-eliminated)
Eastern Conference:
Central:
x-Carolina Hurricanes (32-10-7) 71 pts
x-Florida Panthers (32-14-5) 69 pts
x-Tampa Bay Lightning (33-14-2) 68 pts
Nashville Predators (27-22-2) 56 pts
Dallas Stars (21-16-12) 54 pts
Chicago Blackhawks (22-22-5) 49 pts
e-Detroit Red Wings (17-25-9) 43 pts
e-Columbus Blue Jackets (16-25-10) 42 pts

East:
Washington Capitals (32-13-4) 68 pts
Pittsburgh Penguins (32-15-3) 67 pts
New York Islanders (29-15-5) 63 pts
Boston Bruins (28-14-6) 62 pts
New York Rangers (26-18-6) 58 pts
Philadelphia Flyers (22-20-7) 51 pts
e-New Jersey Devils (15-27-7) 37 pts
e-Buffalo Sabres (13-30-7) 33 pts

Western Conference:
North:
Toronto Maple Leafs (30-13-5) 65 pts
Edmonton Oilers (28-16-2) 58 pts
Winnipeg Jets (27-18-3) 57 pts
Montreal Canadiens (21-17-9) 51 pts
Calgary Flames (21-24-3) 45 pts
Ottawa Senators (19-27-4) 42 pts
Vancouver Canucks (19-21-3) 41 pts

West:
x-Vegas Golden Nights (34-11-2) 70 pts
x-Colorado Avalanche (31-11-4) 66 pts
x-Minnesota Wild (31-14-3) 65 pts
St. Louis Blues (22-19-6) 50 pts
Arizona Coyotes (21-23-5) 47 pts
San Jose Sharks (19-24-5) 43 pts
Los Angeles Kings (18-22-6) 42 pts
e-Anaheim Ducks (14-28-7) 35 pts

As you can see the Wild have already claimed a spot in the playoffs. They do still have an opportunity to catch the Avalanche if they can manage some games against them and the Blues.

Right now, the matchups would be (4) St. Louis vs. (1) Vegas and (3) Minnesota vs. (2) Colorado.

Hopefully things keep looking up for the Wild!

As of the moment of this writing, the Wild are 4-3 in the first month of play holding steady at 3rd in the new West division!

This strong start is highlighted by opening weekend out on the Pacific Coast where they came back to bring the Kings to overtime and won both nights 5-3! Overall the team we have seen over the last month has been drastically different then last season's embarrassment. The Wild seem much more focused and driven this year!

Rookie sensation Kirill Kaprizov is already make big waves in the NHL after being drafted by the Wild last year from the KHL. He scored his first NHL goal in overtime to seal the Wild's first win of the season on January 14! Ever since then his presence has most definitely been felt on the ice, and combined with the enhanced attack that head coach Dean Evason has been running, this Wild team is a fun one to watch!

I have to say this is the first time in a while that I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Wild! I will continue to watch them and when I can devote my full attention I may start live tweeting them as well! I do not know hockey nearly as well as some of the other sports I keep track of on here but I will do my best.

Hopefully this incredible play continues! Don't forget to watch the Wild breakout their new Reverse Retro jerseys, inspired by the North Stars legacy, when they play with them on Sunday, January 31st for the first time!

The Wild play their first opponent from their true division in a 2 game series this weekend at Xcel Energy Center, should be a great one!!

​Go Wild!

On Sunday, the NHL announced it will begin its 2021 season on January 13, 2021. 

This means the Minnesota Wild will begin the 2021 campaign on that day as well!

There are a number of changes to the Wild and the NHL at large for 2021 only. For starters the NHL mixed around the division assignments for the upcoming season due to all 7 Canadian clubs being displaced for the near future. Canadian authorities will not be allowing any sports teams to bypass their 2-week quarantine period when entering the country. As a result, all of the Canadian teams will be in their own division fittingly named the North. The Wild will play in a modified West division. This division will include Minnesota, Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose, St. Louis, and Las Vegas. Most likely, the Wild and the Blues will have the highest travel expenses in the NHL this year with most of their division on the West coast. Minnesota's traditional rivals like Chicago will be staying in the modified Central division.

I would expect not too many teams will host fans to start the year, including the Wild. So I wouldn't expect to set foot in the Xcel Energy Center until at least March if not longer. The NHL will run a 56 game season this year! They hope to be able to run a standard season next year in the 2021-22 season which will be also hosting the Winter Classic at Target Field in 2022.

Exciting times!
​Go Wild!

Last week, the NHL and the Minnesota Wild announced that the league has passed through the first two phases of their Return-to-Play plan in a reasonable amount of time so the full plan is a go and the playoffs will happen!

Given this authorization by all participating teams, the league decided where the two hub cities will be.

Rogers Place in Edmonton will serve as the hub for the 12 Western Conference teams come August 1st. Scotiabank Arena in Toronto will become the hub for the 12 Eastern Conference teams as well.

The games will start on August 2nd. The times are yet to be determined but the dates of the qualifying series are below. The Wild will play the Vancouver Canucks in a Best of 5 qualifying round where the winner will enter the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Game 1: @ Vancouver Canucks, Sunday, August 2nd Time TBD
Game 2: @ Vancouver Canucks, Tuesday, August 4th Time TBD
Game 3: vs. Vancouver Canucks, Thursday, August 6th Time TBD
Game 4: vs. Vancouver Canucks, Friday, August 7th Time TBD (If needed)
Game 5: @ Vancouver Canucks, Sunday, August 9th Time TBD (If needed)

Those are the dates for the games, the times are yet to be announced.

Awesome news and I can't wait to start covering these games! I will be live tweeting these games! Stay tuned on my Twitter page for more updates!

​Stay Safe Wild fans!

On Tuesday, the NHL announced multiple things in a virtual press conference with Commissioner Gary Bettman.
First, that if hockey returns this summer it will not include the remainder of regular season games that were on the slate when sports were postponed in early March. 
However, this also meant that if the NHL does resume this summer, it will immediately start with playoffs. These playoffs are a modified version of the current playoff structure that includes teams that were already projected in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as teams that were as many as 4 spots out of the last wild card slot. This would include the Minnesota Wild. 
Based off of the NHL's playoff picture post they made on social media yesterday, that would mean the Wild would play the Vancouver Canucks in a qualifying round matchup that would make the Wild a 10 seed and the Canucks a 7 seed.

Now how would the NHL accomplish this? The current plan, according to Bettman, is to reopen in phases. Phase One being the current phase of announcing their plans, Phase Two would be allowing small group workouts at clubs' training facilities, Phase Three would be a full scale training camp for teams involved, and finally Phase Four would be a full return to the 24-team playoff structure. 
The playoff structure would be played in two "hub" cities. One for the Western Conference, and one for the Eastern Conference. These two cities have yet to be determined, I would assume that would be decided on the condition of the sites once Phase Three is initiated. 
Here are all 10 cities (main arena in parenthesis):
Chicago, Illinois (United Center)
Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
Dallas, Texas (American Airlines Center, Comerica Center)
Edmonton, Canada (Rogers Place)
Las Vegas, Nevada (T-Mobile Arena)
Los Angeles, California (Staples Center)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PPG Paints Arena)
St. Paul, Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center, TRIA Rink)
Toronto, Canada (Scotiabank Arena)
Vancouver, Canada (Rogers Arena)

As you can see both the Wild and Canucks respective arenas are candidates to host the playoffs. I would tend to believe that the Twin Cities are pretty high on that list given the hockey heritage in this entire state, which means attendance would be good no matter if the Wild are there or not, and there are lots of rinks around the cities and the surrounding suburbs. However just because St. Paul is a candidate doesn't mean that the Wild will play here, it could be a host to the Eastern Conference side of the playoffs. This plan is all about the safest return to play possible. 

I really hope they go through with this. I also more then believe that St. Paul is equipped to host such a tournament. This is what Minnesota lives for.

Now on to analyzing the matchup the Wild would potentially have. It would be a five game series of Minnesota vs. Vancouver. Now on paper they look very evenly matched, with the Wild winning the regular season series 2 games to 1. Both of the Wild's wins came 13 days apart back in February. The lone lose of the series was back in St. Paul on January 12th where the Canucks bested the Wild 4-1. The two Wild wins came in both St. Paul and Vancouver. The most recent was the Wild's dad's trip back in mid-February where the Wild won in a shootout 4-3. The other win was on February 6th at Xcel Energy Center where the Wild won 4-2. In my opinion, the Wild have a very fair chance to win this matchup. Two very evenly matched teams, it should be close if the Wild play this right. 

Another advantage of a summer playoff series is that all teams involved should be completely healthy, aside from major injuries. However, this series will not technically count as a playoff series so who knows how we will look at this season, as long is it happens, many years in the future.

Lots of hope floating around in the sports world right now, lets hope it all comes to fruition and the days of shutdown and cancellations are all behind us!

​Go Wild!

On the morning of March 12, 2020, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman suspended the current NHL season due to the spread of coronavirus. This came especially after the NBA suspended their season just a night before due to a player contracting the virus. 
Unlike lots of other sports, plans of resuming the current season have not been discussed nor released publicly as of the publishing of this post. It is uncertain whether the commissioner will resume the current season or just end the season and move on to the 2020-21 season. 
Given the CDC's more recent recommended restriction on social gatherings, it is unlikely that we will see the current season restored to its current schedule. 
If this is truly the end the 2019-20 season I would like to thank all the Minnesota Wild fans who tuned in to my posts both here on my website and on my Twitter page. It has been a blast this season and it is really unfortunate to see it end this way. 
The Wild will finish at 4th place in the Central division, their highest this year, with a record of (35-27-7) with 77 points.

God Bless and stay safe Wild fans.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Post-NHL Deadline life of the Minnesota Wild!

There is good news and bad news.
I will go over the bad news first: the Wild did nothing around the deadline, although there were rumors that the Wild were trying to shop F Zach Parise. This, in my opinion would have been a very smart move by GM Bill Guerin as Parise's contract is most definitely hindering the Wild's efforts at trying to attract free agents and rebuild.

Good news: The Wild are still trying to make a playoff push despite a self-proclaimed rebuilding year. Now unfortunately it just so happens the Central division, in which the Wild play, is quite good this year. The Wild have a record of 33-26-7 and have 73 points. This, however, has earned Minnesota 5th in the Central division and they are the first team out of the last Wildcard spot. But fortunately they are only 1 point outside of that last Wildcard spot. They need to leapfrog only Winnipeg now to take that last spot.
But in all honesty if the Wild were to make a Wildcard spot, I am not sure how far they would go. They would face most likely the Blues or the Stars. I would like to see another Stars-Wild playoff matchup as they have always put up a fight against their Minnesota-predecessor. Now facing the Blues I think would be a very bad matchup and would be a sweep in favor of St. Louis. 

Hopefully the next month has a great run of hockey for us all to enjoy! 

​Go Wild!