Minnesota Wild At Arizona: Keys To Victory (And Staying Mumps-Free)
The Minnesota Wild are bringing the mumps (and some really good offense) to Arizona
So is it politically correct to test every Minnesota Wild skater, coach, trainer, and equipment manager for mumps before we allow them through the doors of Gila River Arena?
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Eyes On Isles
I’ve joked that the Coyotes are playing with such a low compete level (which would upset New Jersey Devils coach Pete DeBoer to no end) to keep up their immune systems; it’s hard to win the Stanley Cup if your entire roster is out with the mumps. The Coyotes are just trying to win the cup, guys!
Looking at tonight’s game from a more somber perspective, though, this team needs to pull out of their nosedive — and fast — if they have any hopes of keeping their roster, coaching staff, and fanbase intact through April.
Details for Saturday night’s game:
DATE: Saturday, December 13th
TIME: 6:00 P.M. (MST)
LOCATION: Glendale, Arizona
ARENA: Gila River Arena
TV INFO: Fox Sports AZ, FSNO
Keys to an Arizona Coyotes victory:
I’ve put the line combinations down below (you’re welcome, Arizona!) — and for this game, seeing each line produce the way it would on paper. Let’s break it down, and see why:
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Puck Prose
ON OFFENSE: The top two lines you’ll see Saturday, assuming Alexandre Bolduc doesn’t replace one of these players, are identical to the ones you were projected to see on Thursday. This is a good thing… they’re the lines that either produced or came the closest to producing against a strong shut-down Nashville Predators roster. Assuming that the Minnesota Wild continue to struggle in goal, this top-six combo should have no problems putting at least a few points on the board.
The bottom six is shocking for anyone who’s been following our commentary leading up to the games — but don’t let this worry you. Joe Vitale is getting the nod he SO seriously deserves; as one of the smallest listed roster players, Vitale is a good face-off specialist… but he’s become an even better two-way player. With guys like Sam Gagner and Lauri Korpikoski, who are fast and offensive but have been struggling to block shots and finish plays in the offensive zone, Vitale elevates the third line to where a team’s third line should be. Add in David Moss to replace a B.J. Crombeen who I think has lost his role on a struggling Arizona franchise, and I’m pretty content with how things look. Ideally, I’d replace Chipchura in the offensive line-up with Bolduc… that could put out four very strong lines, something I don’t say often.
ON DEFENSE: David Schlemko deserves a huge round of applause; he’s been shuttled up and down between Arizona and Portland, but he’s been using this as motivation to be one of the strongest performers on the Coyotes roster. The Minnesota Wild are a team that can be relentless, and having Schlemko playing strong will help with that.
It’s safe to assume that Connor Murphy may not be in the lineup, instead sitting out with Brandon Gormley — the two skated as a pairing during practice this week, and since they’ve both been injured lately, I’d take that to mean they’re your extra skaters on defense. Gormley’s still listed as injured reserve, so don’t count on seeing him.
Line Combinations:
Forwards:
Mikkel Boedker – Antoine Vermette – Shane Doan
Tobias Rieder – Martin Hanzal – Martin Erat
Joe Vitale – Sam Gagner – Lauri Korpikoski
Kyle Chipchura – Brandon McMillan – David Moss
** Alexandre Bolduc likely to replace one of the players on these lines
Defense:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek
Keith Yandle – David Schlemko
Chris Summers – Michael Stone
*Brandon Gormley and Connor Murphy most likely scratches
Top Guys to Watch For from the Minnesota Wild:
1. Nino Niederreiter: this springy forward is easily one of the most criticized players in the NHL; we used him as our Daily Haterade the first time we played the Wild. He’s been using this season to show that he’s improving his defensive play, though, and knows that he needs to score in order to remain in good standing with antsy Wild fans… if anyone is going to push turnovers and race for Dubnyk, this winger is it.
2. Zach Parise: many players who suffer head injuries come back more timid, but Parise has remained a strong, consistent player in the NHL for years now. The Wild’s alternate captain plays a strong, calm two-way game; guys like him hurt the Coyotes in the long run. If you look at the team’s game against Boston (the last one I covered for you guys), Nino Niederreiter is the Brad Marchand of Minnesota — but Parise is the Patrice Bergeron. He’s easily one of the most lethal players on the Wild.
3. Ryan Suter/Jonas Brodin: if these two don’t give the Coyotes the mumps, we’ll have come out of the game ahead. (I’m only kind of kidding). They’ve both been out recently with illness, but don’t expect them to let that affect them — if anything, they’ll be looking to make a big comeback. Suter is one of the best defenseman in the NHL, and Brodin is fast joining him in that category. The Wild have a strong roster this season — watch out for it.
Predictions:
This could easily be a deadly game for Arizona, but I’m hoping that the line changes will finally spark a win.
While I started off the season really liking the Minnesota goaltending situation, Darcy Kuemper has quickly reminded me that he’s only human — if the Coyotes can play the way they did against the Predators, the simple fact that Filip Forsberg and Pekka Rinne won’t be present could be enough to spark a win.
I keep jinxing us when I make final score predictions, so I’m just going to sit quietly.
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