A series of cuts have left the Minnesota Wild with a much smaller training camp group consisting of what should mostly be their roster that they will open the regular season with. That lineup will be in action tonight as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks for the second time this preseason. The last game, on Sept. 30, was a Wild overtime win thanks to Connor Dewar’s first of the preseason. This is expected to be the Wild’s first encounter with the mythical Connor Bedard, who is likely to become the newest opponent that fans will learn to hate playing against.
Setting the Stage
Minnesota Wild Roster
One of the most frustrating things about being a fan of a professional sports team is watching them repeat the same mistakes over and over again. The Wild got off to an extremely poor start last season and to try and avoid that this season they have changed their methodology regarding veteran activity in preseason action. For a nice change of pace, the entire team will be getting a couple of games together to settle into their roles and get a feel for each other before the regular season. Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson are slated to split the remaining games.
Kirill Kaprizov – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Freddy Gaudreau – Marco Rossi – Marcus Foligno
Brandon Duhaime – Connor Dewar – Pat Maroon
Jake Middleton – Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin – Brock Faber
Jon Merrill – Calen Addison
Marc-Andre Fleury – Filip Gustavsson
Keys to the Game
Get the Jitters Out Now
There is always a margin of error that is acceptable in preseason hockey. That is the entire point of the games, to get back into regular season form and get a feel for the puck before the games matter. With the Wild bringing out their intended opening night lineups, it allows each player to feel out their linemates and make some mistakes without having dire consequences. This is especially true for the bottom six as Rossi will try to find a niche between Foligno and Gaudreau, while newcomer Pat Maroon will try to add an extra something to the pair of Dewar and Duhaime.
As a team that is clearly set on being perennial contenders, the Wild will have to get more consistent scoring from those bottom six lines and the defense if they want to go further into the playoffs. There is no denying that Addison can bring some flare to the powerplay, but if he can translate that into his five-on-five game as well, while also tidying up his defensive game, he could easily become the offensive defenseman the Wild are missing.
Don’t Play Down to the Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are not a good team just because they got an instant-rebuild token with Connor Bedard, however, they are a much better team than they were last season. The Wild have fallen into the trap of playing down to their opponents countless times in the past and no matter what roster the Blackhawks ice tonight the Wild will have the better team, but they still need to play their game if they are going to win.
Related: Minnesota Wild Prospect Report: Heidt, Haight, Yurov & More
The Blackhawks’ offensive firepower will be led by Bedard for years to come and this is a perfect opportunity to begin learning how to counter his massive skill set. He is the kind of player that can make teams pay if they underestimate their opponent and he is especially dangerous tonight because the Blackhawks have nothing to lose from this game. They either lose to a team icing their full NHL lineup, or, they beat a team that iced their full NHL lineup.
Next on the Docket
The Wild will finish out the preseason at home on Oct. 7 when the Dallas Stars come to visit. The Stars handed the Wild their only loss so far this preseason back on Sept. 26 with a dominating 6-1 performance. Fans will then be subjected to an excruciating five-day wait before the season-opener and home-opener on Oct. 12 when the 2022-23 Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers are in St. Paul.
