Blue Line Station
Fansided

New York Rangers looking for wild night in Minnesota

By Andrew Steele-Davis

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: New York Rangers Center Ryan Strome (16) and Minnesota Wild Center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) take a face-off during the National Hockey League game between the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers on November 25, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: New York Rangers Center Ryan Strome (16) and Minnesota Wild Center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) take a face-off during the National Hockey League game between the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers on November 25, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
SAINT PAUL, MN – FEBRUARY 11: The Minnesota Wild celebrate a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on February 11, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAINT PAUL, MN – FEBRUARY 11: The Minnesota Wild celebrate a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on February 11, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /

About the Wild

Life without Jason Zucker started pretty well for the Minnesota Wild who shutout the Vegas Golden Knights in a dominant 4-0 win on Tuesday on home ice.

It was a real statement win for the Wild who are a strange hockey team to try and work out, although they may be nearing an identity under new General Manager Billy Guerin.

After years of stockpiling veterans on big contracts, including former Ranger Mats Zuccarello, the Wild now appear to be on the cusp of a major rebuild.

Zucker was the first major piece out of the door to the Pittsburgh Penguins, bringing back a conditional first-round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and a high-end prospect in defenseman Calen Addison.

They also got back one-time 30-goal scorer Alex Galchenyuk, who has seen his career stutter to an almost spectacular halt.

He wasn’t effective with the Penguins but maybe a fresh start in the State of Hockey will spark a resurgence for the forward.

There is added motivation for Minnesota to bring a bucketload of hustle to the rink every night, given that Guerin has threatened to sell off more pieces if the Wild quit on the season.

High-end defenseman Matt Dumba is one name that will no doubt be asked about a lot between now and the Trade Deadline, but the speculation clearly isn’t having an affect on this team.

After all, they have won four of their past five games and are only four points behind the Arizona Coyotes for the second Wild Card spot, with three games in hand.

So, in a nutshell, there is a lot for this Wild team to play for.

They are also clicking on the power play right now having scored three goals with the man advantage against Vegas on Tuesday, and they have been scoring at a 38.1 percent clip on the PP since the All-Star Break.

Alex Stalock, who recorded his third shutout of the year on Tuesday, could get the start in goal for Minnesota tonight.

Home/Analysis