Aside from the wake-up call that happened against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 14, the Minnesota Wild are off to a much stronger start this season than in 2022-23. Their recent battle against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 17 was, if nothing else, a great display of their special teams and the potential to be able to rely on the powerplay as a source of scoring, which would be a welcome change from recent previous seasons. As they take on the Los Angeles Kings tonight, the goal will now be to get their five-on-five production rolling as well.
This is the first meeting of the two teams in the 2023-24 season but it should be a good one. The Wild have a slight edge in points as they have two wins under their belt, while the Kings only collected their first win on Oct. 17 against the Winnipeg Jets. Don’t be fooled by their first two games though, the Kings have a very strong team and have a very good chance at being a top team when it comes time for some post-season action.
Setting the Stage
Minnesota Wild Lineup
The Wild have had to face some massive diversity already in the beginning games of the 2023-24 season. Not only are they without their captain and best defenseman Jared Spurgeon, but they are missing one of their top offensive weapons in Matt Boldy and the veteran presence of Alex Goligoski. With those three injuries, the Wild were forced to play 11 and six against the Canadiens, but have since placed Goligoski on long-term injury reserve (LTIR) to gain a little more wiggle room under the salary cap.
They have used that space to bring up Sammy Walker, who will undoubtedly slide directly into Boldy’s spot on the second line, as the other three lines have been working well to this point. The defensive pairings are really a best-guess scenario and seem to alter throughout the game itself depending on the play of individual players, but decent results in their latest game lead me to believe they will attempt to roll out the same pairings.
Kirill Kaprizov – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson – Joel Eriksson Ek – Sammy Walker
Freddy Gaudreau – Marco Rossi – Marcus Foligno
Brandon Duhaime – Connor Dewar – Pat Maroon
Jonas Brodin – Calen Addison
Jake Middleton – Brock Faber
Jon Merrill – Calen Addison
Filip Gustavsson – Marc-Andre Fleury
Keys to the Game
Walker Grabs Opportunity
I think that every Wild fan knows about Walker by this point. Whether the Minnesota native caught their eye in his nine NHL games last season, or early in this year’s preseason games where he was a force to be reckoned with, he is far and away the most dissevering of this opportunity. Fortunately, the second-line role that he will be filling is likely where he should be playing anyway, as his speed and skill set are very similar to that of his new linemate Marcus Johansson.
Related: Minnesota Wild Prospect Report: Rossi, Faber & Khusnutdinov
A major factor in this game for the Wild will be if Walker is going to be a noticeable player and take full advantage of his opportunity. The Kings pack a lot of offensive firepower that the Wild’s very depleted defense may have some serious issues containing. Instead, they may have to fight fire with fire, and with Boldy out of commission, they will need all hands on deck if they want to come away with a win. A major part of that will be Walker’s speed, transitional skills, and ability to gain the offensive zone.
A Tale of Two Talbots
The Kings’ goaltending was one of the biggest question marks heading into their season, and the first two games only furthered that train of thought. Wild fans should be familiar with their presumed starter who is none other than former Wild Cam Talbot. Talbot dropped his first game with the Kings in their season opener on Oct. 11 by allowing four goals against, although he faced 36 shots during the game. Pheonix Copley then took the net for their Oct. 14 game against the Carolina Hurricanes in which he allowed five goals while making just 14 saves on the night.
Talbot regained control of the net for their next contest and strung together a strong performance making 26 saves on 27 shots to earn the team their first win of the season on Oct. 17, making him the likely (but unconfirmed) starter for tonight’s game. Facing the team that traded him, he may be out for revenge, but as Wild fans should know there are two versions of Talbot. One of them is a Vezina-caliber game changer, and the other is a replacement-level sieve. Who knows which one we could see tonight?
Next on the Docket
After tonight’s contest, the Wild will continue their homestand for two more games as the Columbus Blue Jackets roll into town for an Oct. 21 contest, followed by the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 24. They will then take off on a three-game road trip to the eastern United States to face the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and New Jersey Devils in quick succession. There are some elite teams in the coming days and the Wild will have their hands full with all of them, especially if injuries continue to be a problem.
