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Archives for January 2017

Quotable: Shane Doan On The Possibility Of Being Traded

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The report over the weekend that suggested that long-time Coyotes captain Shane Doan could be willing to accept a trade caught many by surprise.  Speaking with reporters, including Tim Campbell of NHL.com, he clarified the situation:

“People have texted and talked to me about it. I never said I wouldn’t go anywhere. I’ve always wanted to stay here. If there was ever an opportunity, the Coyotes have always been incredible to me and respectful to me in every way.

“I’d talk about it with my family and make a decision on that if it was to come up but it would have to be so perfect and so right that it’s pretty hard for it to all line up perfectly. It would have to be exactly perfect and that just doesn’t happen too often in our sport.”

Doan has been with the organization for 21 years, dating back to their original incarnation as the old Winnipeg Jets.  He’s one of just nine players in league history to spend that long with the same organization, a legacy that’s quite important to him, notes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.

Shane Doan

The 40 year old has struggled this season, posting just four goals and eight assists in 43 games, his worst point-per-game production since 1996-97.  The team is also expected to miss the playoffs as they 29th in the league and 16 points out of the last Wild Card spot so if he wants to play in the postseason this year, it will have to be somewhere else.

Doan was also quick to note, however, that the trade talk didn’t start with him:

“It wasn’t me saying it. I’ve been frustrated with the year, with us not winning and stuff, that’s always tough. I haven’t said it to them, to management, or said anything to them, but I’ve also never said I wouldn’t [agree to be traded].

“If it comes to that point, we’ll sit down and talk about it. It’s happened in the past, it’s just that no one’s ever heard about it. We’ve had the discussion and said yes or no and for the most part it’s been no.”

Although his days of being a top six forward are over, it’s likely that several contending teams would be interested in adding him for the stretch run.  However, with a cap hit of just over $3.875MM (not including games played bonuses of over $960K), it would take some creativity to get the finances to work in a deal.  Doan’s contract also carries deferred signing bonus money over the next five years (CapFriendly has the detailed breakdown) which also has to be considered as well.

Doan was also asked about whether or not this would be his final season and noted that he isn’t ready to make that decision yet:

“I’ll decide at the end of the year. As long as I’m enjoying playing the game, I want to play. It’s the best sport in the world.”

With the trade deadline still six weeks away, there’s plenty of time for Doan to make a decision about his playing future.  If he decides to take a run at a Stanley Cup this season, he will be one of the more interesting players to change teams this season.  His case will be one to keep a close eye on in the weeks ahead.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Updates: Hutton, Rodin, Cullen, Dumoulin, MacArthur

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without the services of defenseman Ben Hutton for the next three-to-six weeks, the team announced (Twitter link).  He’s dealing with a small fracture in his hand and has been out of the lineup since January 8th.

This season, his second NHL campaign, the 23 year old has played in 41 games, recording 11 points (4-7-11).  He also ranks third on the team in ice time per night at just under 21 minutes per game.

This will place further strain on a Vancouver back end that is already missing Erik Gudbranson (wrist) and Philip Larsen (head).

Still with the Canucks, the team also provided an update via Twitter on winger Anton Rodin.  Two weeks ago against the Flames, he re-aggravated the same knee that was surgically repaired last January.  The team has decided to shut him down and give him a period of rest before beginning his rehab.  He’s set to undergo an MRI later this week.  Rodin, who signed a one year deal for this season back in March, has suited up in just three games this season.

[Related: Canucks Depth Chart]

Other injury news from around the league:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without center Matt Cullen for the next three-to-four weeks, notes Michelle Crechiolo on their team website. Cullen sustained a foot injury while blocking a shot in last night’s wild 8-7 overtime victory against the Capitals.  The 40 year old has played in all 43 games this season, tallying eight goals and nine assists.  Earlier this month, he suggested that he might not retire after the season, citing the fact he has been able to remain healthy as one of the reasons for potentially sticking around.
  • Still from Crechiolo, defenseman Brian Dumoulin joined the team for practice today in a non-contact jersey and a full face shield. He has been out of the lineup since late December after suffering a broken jaw.  He’s on long-term injury reserve after the original diagnosis had him missing four to six weeks.  As a result, he must miss at least ten games and 24 days before he can be activated.
  • While the Senators were hoping that left winger Clarke MacArthur would be able to accompany the team on their three game road trip, he was left behind to undergo further testing, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports. He has yet to play this season as he continues to deal with concussion problems.  Head coach Guy Boucher didn’t seem particularly bullish on him being able to return in the near future as he suggested it’s not just a matter of when he will be able to return but also if he will be able to.

Islanders Fire Head Coach Jack Capuano

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The New York Islanders have relieved head coach Jack Capuano of his coaching duties, effective immediately, the team announced.  Assistant coach Doug Weight will take over on an interim basis.

The Isles have struggled considerably this season, sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference with a 17-17-8 record but are just eight points out of a playoff position.  Their struggles are a vast departure from last season where they qualified for the playoffs and made it to the second round.

Nov 7, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano coaches against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

There was quite a bit of roster turnover during the offseason as the team let long-term mainstays Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, and Matt Martin go.  Their replacements, Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera, have not yet panned out.

GM Garth Snow released the following statement:

“The New York Islanders would like to thank Jack for his tireless work throughout his seven seasons with the organization as Head Coach. His leadership guided the team to the playoffs in three of the past four years, which included two straight 100-point seasons. He is a great coach and an even better person. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”  

Capuano was the fourth longest-tenured coach in the NHL before his departure as he was behind the bench for 482 games, taking over in November of 2010.  He had been with the organization in other coaching capacities since 2005.  He sits second in franchise history in games coached as well as wins with 227, only behind Hall Of Fame coach Al Arbour.

As part of the press release, Capuano had the following statement regarding his ouster:

“It’s an honor to have served this historic franchise and its passionate fans. I’d like to thank Garth and our ownership group for the opportunity to be the Head Coach of the Islanders. I’d also like to recognize our coaching staff, training staff and players for all of their hard work.”

As for Weight, this will be his first NHL head coaching opportunity.  He has been an assistant with the team since his retirement in May of 2011.  The team will not be bringing in anyone from outside the organization to join the staff, Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports (Twitter link).

In a conference call with reporters, Snow noted that the team had decided they wouldn’t be brining Capuano back so they decided to make the move now.  He added that they will begin their search for a new full-time head coach immediately and wouldn’t rule out naming that replacement before the end of the season, via NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika (Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Landeskog, Lehtera, Stars

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Colorado left winger Gabriel Landeskog has seen his name pop up in trade rumors over the past few weeks.  Despite that and the continued struggles that the team is having, he made it very clear to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post that he’s hoping to stick around:

“I want to be an Avalanche, to stay an Avalanche and be in Denver for a long, long time.”

It’s certainly easy to see the appeal that Landeskog would have league-wide.  He’s just 24 years of age, at one point was the youngest team captain in NHL history, and already has four seasons of 50 points or more under his belt.

However, this year hasn’t gone particularly well, something that can pretty much be said for just about every Colorado player.  Through 31 games this year, he has just eight goals and six assists, production that is comparable to the worst year of his career back in 2012-13.

Young power forwards with top six upside (or in this case, proven production) are hard to come by so GM Joe Sakic’s asking price has been quite high despite Landeskog’s struggles.  Including this season, he has five years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5.57MM, an amount that may be difficult to fit in on another team given that many teams are in cap trouble.  Accordingly, some have wondered if the better time to make a move with him would be the offseason when there could be more teams with the cap space to fit him in.

In the meantime, Landeskog is trying his best to not let the speculation get to him:

“Whether my name is floating around or not, I’m still approaching the game the same way. And that is to spread energy, be a good teammate, work hard and try to get better every day. Me being in trade rumors, that’s nothing I can control.”

More from the Central:

  • When it comes to the surprising lack of production of Blues center Jori Lehtera, count GM Doug Armstrong among those that can’t quite put a finger on it, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lehtera has spent the bulk of the season alongside winger Vladimir Tarasenko.  The Russian winger sits sixth in league scoring with 44 points in as many games yet Lehtera has just 13 points on the season in 39 outings.  Armstrong isn’t focusing on the negative when it comes to Lehtera’s play, however: “All I know is Tarasenko is in the top three or four in scoring and Jori is the centerman. So there’s something happening positive with Jori and Vlad. Obviously the point total is the point total, but when he’s not producing points, he doesn’t hurt you defensively and that’s something I don’t think maybe a lot of people focus on. But we try and focus on that.”
  • The penalty kill for the Stars has dropped drastically in recent weeks, notes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. After killing just one of three power plays last night against the Sabres (the fifth time in their last eight games that they’ve allowed multiple goals on the penalty kill), they’ve now dropped to dead last in the league in success rate at just 74.4%.  While speculation is starting to heat up about who GM Jim Nill may consider dealing, it’s quite likely that he’ll be on the lookout for some help defensively, either on the back end or up front.  Dallas is just four points out of the last Wild Card spot and shoring up their penalty kill would go a long way towards trying to help close that gap.

Minor Transactions: 1/17/2017

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The Anaheim Ducks continue to use frequent promotions and demotions to their advantage. With their AHL affiliate now right down the road, and not somewhere on the Eastern seaboard, it has become much easier and less costly to swap young players in and out and the Ducks are at it once again. Anaheim announced last night that defenseman Shea Theodore and forward Stefan Noesen are heading to the San Diego Gulls. Theodore has been back and forth a few different times so far in 2016-17, as he searches for consistency. In 19 NHL games last season, Theodore had three goals and five assists and was a +7. Through 23 games this year, he has just one goal and six assists while playing to a -7. With all of the blue line depth that the Ducks enjoy, they can afford to let Theodore find his game in the AHL (nine points in eleven games) and still call him up when necessary. Noesen, a 2011 first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators who was acquired alongside Jakob Silfverberg in the Bobby Ryan trade, has not panned out like Silfverberg has. Noesen has played in just eleven NHL games, nine of which have come this season, and has recorded just a single point. Quickly approaching 24-years-old, Noesen appears to be a bona fide bust.

Update (1:00pm CT): After demoting Theodore and Noesen last night, the Ducks have promoted the same pair this afternoon. Anaheim continues to be the poster-team for AHL transactions in 2016-17, squeezing ever little bit of salary cap savings they can out of numerous moves.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Penguins announced that they have recalled defenseman Cameron Gaunce from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  They also re-assigned fellow blueliner David Warsofsky to the minors.  This will be Gaunce’s first stint with Pittsburgh after joining the team in the offseason.  He has two goals and six assists with the Baby Pens this season.  As for Warsofsky, he got into two games with Pittsburgh since last being recalled.  On the season, he has suited up in six games with the team, being held off the scoresheet.  In 24 AHL games though, he has fared much better, tallying 28 points.
  • The Oilers announced that they have re-assigned blueliner Jordan Oesterle to Bakersfield of the AHL.  He did not get into a game with Edmonton after being recalled by the team on Sunday.  In 18 minor league contests this year, he has three goals and eight assists.
  • Having already claimed defenseman Brad Hunt and placed defenseman Petter Granberg on the injured reserve, a busy morning continued for the Nashville Predators as they re-assigned rookie forward Kevin Fiala to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The Swiss winger has six goals and three assists on the season and has shown flashes of brilliance, but could use some more seasoning in order to build a more complete game. When the Predators can find him some extra play time down in the AHL, it only stands to help his development.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have sent impressive prospect Michael McCarron back down to the St. John’s Ice Caps of the AHL. The 2013 first-rounder was called up to help Montreal deal with a slew of injuries, but with the team getting healthier he has been returned to the minors. In 15 games with the Canadiens, McCarron registered a goal and three assists and didn’t look out of place at all. However, the 21-year-old will benefit more this season from top-six time with the Ice Caps than bottom-six play with the Canadiens. Look for McCarron to challenge for a full-time spot on the team next season. Or, if Montreal’s injury luck continues, it will be much sooner that he returns to the NHL.
  • Tim Heed and Ryan Carpenter will have to change locker rooms again, as the San Jose Sharks announced that the pair have been demoted to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda (down the hall to the right). The 25-year-old defenseman Heed is fresh off of his NHL debut last week, having been recalled due to his excellent AHL numbers. Heed is second in the minors in defenseman scoring with 31 points in 28 games with the Barracuda. Carpenter played three games for the Sharks back in November, skating on the team’s energy line, but has not made it into a game in any of his subsequent call-ups in 2016-17.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they have recalled young defenseman Jake Dotchin from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. This is the first career call-up for Dotchin, who has become relevant within the organization as he enjoys a career year. In his third season with the Crunch, Dotchin is on pace to shatter his pro career-high of 20 points, set back in 2014-15, and is also a +10 after back-to-back minus seasons. The big, two-way defenseman only put up modest numbers in his OHL junior career as well and was a sixth-round selection back in 2012, so he has had to put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is and has earned a promotion. If Dotchin suits up for the Lightning tonight, he will be the 30th different player to line up for Tampa this season.
  • Following last night’s legendary contest, the Washington Capitals have returned Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. However, Stephenson didn’t play in the game against the Penguins, or any game for that matter, in this most recent call-up, nor did he play in his earlier promotion this season. After being held scoreless in nine games in Washington last season, it seems the Capitals are in no rush to get the play-making forward back into the NHL lineup.

Predators Claim Brad Hunt

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It’s a new team, but the same division for veteran defenseman Brad Hunt. After being placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues yesterday, TSN’s Bob McKenzie now reports that Hunt is headed to the Central rival Nashville Predators. The small, puck-moving defenseman has scored five points in nine games with the Blues this season, his first with the team, and has 29 points in 23 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

The St. Louis Blues continue to have bad luck with waivers, as just last week they lost Ty Rattie to the Carolina Hurricanes when they tried to move the young forward to the minors. This time they’ve lost some valuable blue line depth, as the 28-year-old Hunt had finally showed signs of breaking through at the NHL level this season. Prior to 2016-17, Hunt had toiled in the AHL for years, unable to make much of a difference when called up to the NHL by the Edmonton Oilers. His numbers in the minors have been impeccable, a total of 204 points over the past four-plus seasons, and as a defenseman no less, but he had just three points in 21 games over three seasons with the Oilers. However, Hunt signed on with the Blues this summer and in nine games with the team has already surpassed his previous NHL career total.

He’ll now get a chance to replicate that production on a Nashville team that runs its offense through its defense. With stars Roman Josi and P.K. Subban injured and Anthony Bitetto banged up for much of the season, the Preds were in need of some depth with the likes of Matt Irwin and Petter Granberg (who is also headed to IR) currently playing major minutes. They get a similar size and skill set to Ryan Ellis in Hunt, who is likely to fit in well in Nashville. It appears to be another shrewd pick-up by Predators GM David Poile, one of the NHL’s best. This is the Predators’ third waiver claim this season, having already gained and lost Reid Boucher and recently added Derek Grant.

Jets Recall Ondrej Pavelec

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Having reached their limits in regards to their recent goaltending troubles, the Winnipeg Jets have decided to turn back the clock in net. The team announced today that they have recalled veteran goalie Ondrej Pavelec from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, returning to the man who held the starter position for the organization for years prior to 2016-17. For now, the team will carry three goalies as it tries to right the ship this season, starting with getting better results from it’s keepers.

When the Jets placed Pavelec on waivers ahead of the start of the 2016-17 season and then subsequently sent him down to the AHL, it marked the end of an era for the team, or so we thought. Pavelec was a 2005 second-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers, who worked his way up through the organization and made his NHL debut just two years later in 2007-08. By 2009-10, Pavelec was the Thrashers’ starter and remained as such through the move to Winnipeg. It was not until last season, when backup Michael Hutchinson was outplaying him and young Connor Hellebuyck began fighting for play time that Pavelec’s role began to decrease. The rise of Hutchinson had been apparent, as the young goalie had been very impressive in just a few starts in 2013-14 and then posted a .914 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average in 38 games as a rookie in 2014-15. Hellebuyck’s ascent was equally predictable, as he was one of the Jets’ top prospects coming out of UMass-Lowell and showed nothing but promise early on in his pro career. Making the decision to move on from Pavelec was even easier for Winnipeg when considering his body of work. Although the Czech keeper had been the top option in goal for six straight years heading into this season, his career has been far from high-quality. Only once, in 2014-15, has Pavelec finished with a save percentage above .915 and a goals against average above 2.70. Those are barely even replacement-level numbers for an NHL goalie. Then, in 2014-15, when Pavelec looked to be taking the the step toward stardom by posting a .920 SV% and 2.28 GAA and helping the Jets earn a playoff berth, he collapsed in the postseason, allowing 15 goals in a quick four-game sweep. Without a history of success, the team’s ties to it’s former starter were not all that strong to begin with.

The choice to go with Hellebuyck and Hutchison and send Pavelec packing this season was one that faced almost no scrutiny. The Jets top priority was (and still is) the development of their young goalies, particularly Hellebuyck, and an expensive veteran with poor numbers like Pavelec was simply not needed… until now. The play of the Jets’ current duo has been costing the team wins of late. Hellebuyck has a .907 SV% and 2.82 GAA in 34 games this season and has looked especially tired and sloppy recently, having been pulled in back-to-back starts, while Hutchison has done a complete turnaround from just two years ago, with an .894 SV% and 3.23 GAA in 20 games as one of the league’s worst goalies in 2016-17. Meanwhile in Manitoba, Pavelec has been putting up numbers that match his career output, which is to say he’s been just okay. In 18 games with the Moose, Pavelec has 8 wins, a .917 SV%, and a 2.78 GAA. However, it’s easy to believe that the 29-year-old, who is still collecting pay on the final year of his five-year, $19.5MM deal signed back in 2012, has not been putting in a full effort in the minors and could potentially improve in his return to the NHL. Winnipeg certainly hopes so, as they need the veteran to stop the bleeding and give their other options some rest. Despite being on a four-game losing streak and without a winning streak of more than two games all season long, the Jets are tied with the Dallas Stars for fifth in the Central Division and are still within reach of a playoff spot if they can turn their season around in the second half.

To make room for Pavelec on the roster, and rather than expose Hutchison to waivers, the Jets also announced that they have placed defenseman Ben Chiarot on waivers. Chiarot sustained an upper body injury last week and has yet to play since. The move opens up a roster space, at least while he recovers, so that the Jets can sort out how they want to balance having three goalies on the roster. The practice has not worked out well for teams like the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders in recent years, but Winnipeg hopes depth in net is the key to all of their problems.

Penguins, Capitals Combine For Nine Goals In A Period

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Is there a better rivalry in the NHL right now than the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals? The teams opened their seasons against each other back in October with a wild game that needed a shootout to decide the winner. In November, the Caps shocked the world with a 7-1 win over the defending champs and then just last week put an end to the Penguins’ five-game winning streak with a 5-2 result. Tonight, it’s almost as if the two sides colluded to produce the best result for our entertainment in their final (regular season) match-up of the year. After going up 2-0 in the first period, Washington allowed six goals in the second while scoring three of their own for a total of nine goals in just twenty minutes. Then, two goals for the Capitals and another for the Penguins tied it up at 7-7 and took the game to overtime. A goal by Conor Sheary in overtime clinched it for Pittsburgh, as unfortunately one team had to come out on top and the game had to come to an end, but only after 15 goals.

The OT goal was Crosby’s third assist of the game, to go along with a goal, but he was just one of the game’s many amazing performances. Fellow Pittsburgh superstar Evgeni Malkin put together a hat trick, all in the second period to lead both teams in goals. Sheary had two goals and an assist for the Penguins, and defensemen Justin Schultz and Trevor Daley combined for seven assists. On the Washington side, T.J. Oshie had a goal and two assists, while Lars Eller added two goals, including the game-tying tally late in the third. On the other hand, it was clearly a night to forget for all of the goaltenders involved.

Unbelievably, the nine goals in a period were not the league record and neither was the Penguins’ six by themselves. However, the six goals scored in the second is the most scored by the Penguins in a game since 2000, when they scored that many in a match-up against the New York Islanders.

The season series between these two teams ends tied at two games apiece and also snaps the Capital’s nine-game winning streak. All hockey fans can hope for now is that these two teams meet up in the playoffs, which could end up being one of the most anticipated series of all time.

Hurricanes Recall Alex Nedeljkovic

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The Carolina Hurricanes’ backup goalie carousel continues to go ’round and ’round. While Eddie Lack remains sidelined, the ’Canes have relied heavily on starter Cam Ward, who has now started 14 straight games. While Ward has performed admirably, with a .915 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average thus far in 2016-17, the long-time Carolina keeper will need a rest eventually. He didn’t get one from Daniel Altshuller, who was called up early in January and then sent back down the next day, nor has he been relieved at all by veteran Michael Leighton, who has been the backup since. The team has announced today that they’ll move on to a third option, demoting Leighton and promoting top goalie prospect Alex Nedeljkovic. 

Nedeljkovic, the Hurricanes’ 2014 second-round pick, was once seen as the future in net in Carolina. The Ohio native made a name for himself leading up to his draft year with a .924 SV% and 2.70 GAA combined over his first two junior seasons with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers, as well as sub-2.00 GAA’s with short stints with the U.S. National Development Team and Team USA at the U-18 World Juniors in 2013-14. However, the young keeper’s career has been in somewhat of a tailspin ever since. Nedeljkovic struggled to return to form for the Whalers in 2014-15, posting a 3.13 GAA in 55 games. He then split the 2015-16 season between two new OHL teams, the Flint Firebirds and Niagara Ice Dogs, but was unable to get back to his pre-draft numbers with either of those squads too. The lone bright spot was a fantastic performance for Team USA at the World Juniors, an unreal .943 SV% and 1.66 GAA in nine games, that came seemingly out of the blue. In this, his first pro season, Nedeljkovic has spent time in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades, where he has played well, but has also played the majority of the early campaign with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, where his performance has been far from encouraging. In 18 appearances, Nedeljkovic has been abysmal at the AHL level. He has an .884 SV% and 3.30 GAA, which has somehow actually been better than Altshuller, but has been a disappointment for the organization.

With this call-up, perhaps the Hurricanes are hoping that Nedeljkovic will shine in the spotlight. His career seems to be one of a player that thrives under pressure, with his best performances coming in his draft year and on the international stage. Ward needs to take a game off sooner rather than later, and Carolina can benefit more from letting Nedeljkovic have his first NHL shot than giving long-in-the-tooth Leighton the start. However, he may be thrown into the fire, as the Hurricanes upcoming slate is vicious. They face the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road next, host the Pittsburgh Penguins, go to Coumbus again, and then head to Washington to take on the Capitals. The young goalie will need some major luck if he makes his debut in any of those contests.

Wild Notes: Standings, Recent Streak, Dubnyk, Gabriel

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With the Minnesota Wild’s 3-2 win over the rival Chicago Blackhawks last night, the Wild moved into sole possession of the top spot in the Central Division. It’s a mere formality for Minnesota, who have four games in hand on Chicago and have held a games lead for much of the season in the battle atop the Central. With 61 points, two more than the Blackhawks and now ten more than the third-place St. Louis Blues, Minnesota is in control of the division.

The win in Chicago last night also extended the team’s road point streak to a club-record 12 games (10-0-2), tying the mark set in 2014-15 when they won 12 straight. With their next road game coming against the underwhelming Dallas Stars next week, it seems likely that they’ll set a new team record in the near future. Before that though, Minnesota has a strong chance to continue it’s winning ways as it squares off against NHL bottom dwellers New Jersey and Arizona in it’s next two games to kick off a four-game home stand. The Wild have lost just one game in regulation since the beginning of December, their highly-publicized game against the then East-leading Columbus Blue Jackets, and have only three losses total in that span (17-1-2), asserting their dominance around the league.

With the league’s second-best goals against, 2.1 per game, and fourth-best goals for, 3.3 per game, and much success on special teams to boot, there is little doubt that the Wild have joined the elite of the NHL. There’s no question that Minnesota is headed to the playoffs this season, even with half a season yet to be played, but it’s likely that they’ll be much higher than their 8th-seed finish from 2015-16. Their next big challenge will be to find the same success in the postseason as they have this regular season.

  • After last night’s win, the Wild also improved their team goal differential to +46, tied with Columbus for the best in the NHL. A lot of this success, especially in the lack of goals against department, is due to the performance of goalie Devan Dubnyk, who has fairly received a lot of praise from many throughout the hockey world. Dubnyk leads the league in both save percentage, .940, and goals against average, 1.78, and has tallied 23 wins as well, second only to the Blue Jacket’s Sergei Bobrovsky. Dubnyk was denied the Vezina Trophy as best goalie in the NHL in 2013-14, when he first arrived in Minnesota, despite similarly impressive numbers. However, with an even more impressive performance so far in 2016-17, as well as great success for his team, Dubnyk should have the Vezina wrapped up this season barring a major collapse or earth-shattering play by Bobrovsky, Braden Holtby, or Tuukka Rask.
  • Missing out on some of the fun in Minnesota has been Kurtis Gabriel, who recently has been passed back and forth between the Wild and the AHL’s Iowa Wild a few different times. The team announced today that, yet again, the gritty energy liner has been demoted. Until Gabriel can provide some offensive contribution, it will be difficult to secure a full-time role with Minnesota.

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