The Top 13 Stories of '13

Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images

Since we are winding down 2013 today, it makes sense to take a look back at the best stories from 2013. So to commemorate the year 2013, we will take a look back at the 13 best stories for the Wild.

Time To Take Charge

Photo: Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images

This is not a post that comes easy to write. But in the wake of one of the more gut wrenching losses of the season and a mob out there ready to bash heads, it was time to let this one loose.

Chalk Talk: Blame Defense, Not Backstrom

Last night, in an ugly display of defense by both teams, it was the Jets defeating the Wild 6-4 at MTS Centre last night. Now before you all sit there and try to say that Niklas Backstrom is terrible, please take a look at some of the goals that were scored on him last night.

Stephane Veilleux Returns

For what seems like the 1,000,000th time this season, the Wild have recalled Stephane Veilleux from Iowa in time for tonight's tilt with Winnipeg. The move was made to give the Wild another body on the roster since it appears that Zach Parise will be out for a few games after not giving his foot adequate rehab time (this rant will come a different day).

Wild Prospects in the World Junior Championships

Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Today, the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championships kick off in Malmo, Sweden. If you haven't seen already, Canada got off to a blazing start with a 7-2 pouncing over Germany.

Mikael Granlund: Top Line Center?

Photo: NHLI via Getty Images

Over the past week, its been suggested that Mike Yeo try and switch up the lineup (not like he hasn't tried this already) and make a change on the top line. The Mikko Koivu-Zach Parise tandem has been in existence since Parise signed here in the summer of 2012. Without a doubt, they are the faces of the team's top line.

Take A Break

Photo: Matt Slocum/AP

Last night, the Wild limped into the Christmas break with a 4-1 loss at Philadelphia. The loss marked the eighth loss in nine games for the Wild on the road and they have now dropped to ninth in the West standings.

Free Fallin

Last night, the Wild took another one on the chin and lost 4-1 to the Rangers in Manhattan. The loss marked a seventh loss in the past eight road games for the hometown team. It also brought the Wild's road record to 6-10-3, which currently ranks as the second worst in the Western Conference (only Edmonton 6-13-2 is worse).

Top Guns

Maverick and Goose are in good company. Photo: Nino Niederreiter

On Halloween, young players Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, and Charlie Coyle all took to dressing up as characters from the movie Top Gun. And as we look back nearly two months later, the wardrobe is rather ironic considering what the three young players have done this season.

Calm Down

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Yesterday the Wild announced that Josh Harding has been placed on IR due to a change in his MS treatment. He is expected to miss the next three games and return for the game in Winnipeg on December 27th. The move signals the return of Niklas Backstrom, the number one goalie to open the season, as the primary goalie for the Wild.

3 on 3: The Upcoming Road Trip

Photo: Joe Sargent/NHLI

After narrowly defeating the Canucks 3-2 last night, the Wild are back out on the road for four games that stretches from tomorrow through the 27th (they come home for Christmas though). Had the Wild had a trip like this two years ago, we would be saying our prayers right about now as they would be playing three elite teams (Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia) heading into the Christmas break.

This Rivalry Is Dead

Please watch that video above. Because after that game, the Wild-Canucks rivalry has been non-existent.

Lack of Even Strength Goals

5 on 5 scoring has not been easy this past month. Photo: Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune

Mikael Granlund has been out. Charlie Coyle has been centering the second line. Mike Yeo has shuffled the lines more times than you can count. Add all that up, and what has that gotten the Wild?

Haula At Your Boys!

Erik Haula has returned and should be back for a while. Photo: Jason Mowry/Icon SMI

Wednesday, we sent a telegram to Jason Zucker. Clearly, he did not get that telegram.

Today the team announced that they are sending Zucker back to Iowa and have recalled Erik Haula. This move was an exact swap of what they did on Monday/Tuesday when Haula was sent down and Zucker was recalled.

Lifeless Road Efforts

Photo: Gary A Vasquez/USA Today Sports

"Personally, I think we’re built for the road. We don’t want to go out and make everything look pretty. We’re a team that’s going to go out and play responsible and take care of our own end and capitalize on our opportunities."-Matt Cooke

Telegram to Jason Zucker: Make It Count

The door is wide open for Jason Zucker. Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

Mikael Granlund: Out indefinitely. Justin Fontaine: Fourth line. Dany Heatley: Coaches doghouse, moved to fourth line. Erik Haula: Sent back to Iowa.

Tuesday Thoughts

Photo: Zumapress/mvphotos.com

Gary Bettman, Get Rid Of This Garbage

Photo: Matthew J Lee/Boston Globe

Hey Gary Bettman, did you watch that Penguins-Bruins tilt last night? Because the rest of the world is laughing at your league right now.

We saw two despicable acts of violence in this game last night. The James Neal knee to Brad Marchand's head was just given a two minute minor. Seriously? A two minute minor for a blatant knee to the head of a player who is on the ice? That's just pathetic.

Chalk Talk: Nino Niederreiter Is Pretty Good

During this past NHL Draft, Chuck Fletcher sent Cal Clutterbuck and the team's third round pick to the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Nino Niederreiter. The trade was hailed by both sides as a success as the Isles got a good checking forward (yeah...ok) and the Wild got a forward who needed a fresh start with a lot of upside.

3 on 3: Josh Harding

No bottle of water can cool off Josh Harding. Photo: Jack Dempsey/AP

Josh Harding was named the NHL's #3 star of November, becoming the first Wild player to ever be named a Star of the Month. He was also named the third star of the week ending on November 18th. So to commemorate his accomplishments on the season, lets give him the nod in three on three today.

November Wrap Up

A look back at the best of November for the Wild:

The Iron Patriot

Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Zach Parise was expected to be out 2-3 weeks with a bruised foot, which he suffered during Monday's game. He took the morning skate on Wednesday, but couldn't play due to the pain.

O Brodziak, Where Art Thou

It has not been a good start for Brodziak. Photo: Lance Thornson/Getty Images

Yesterday was for giving thanks, counting your blessings, and all that good stuff. Today, not so much. In fact, we are going to a near opposite of giving thanks.

For the 2013-14 Wild, there are two distinct players who have stood out among the rest when it comes to being our favorite scapegoat. One of them is Kyle Brodziak.

What's Really Important

Day in and day out (or at least every other day), we gather here to discuss the good and bad when it comes to our favorite hockey team. And while thats why we come here on a semi daily basis, that is not why we gather here today.

How Long Will This Dominance Last?

Are better times ahead for the Wild when playing the Blues? Photo: Jeff Robertson/AP

One could easily look at last night's score and say "The Wild got throttled by St. Louis". When you read 3-0 and Parise leaves the game with injury, its real easy to say that. If you watched the game, the Blues controlled the puck like no other and it showed up in the stat line. The Blues dominated the game with a 61% Corsi For. Not exactly the way the Wild wanted to send a message to St. Louis in their first meeting as divisional opponents.

Keith Ballard, Ryan Suter, and Stuff About Their TOI

Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Lately, everyone has been talking about the number of minutes Ryan Suter has been playing each night. At 29:33 of TOI per game, he leade the NHL by 1:45 over Erik Karlsson. Suter is looking to become the first player to average over 30 minutes of TOI since Chris Pronger back in 1999-2000  with 30:14 (also worth noting that Pronger won the Hart Trophy).

Into The West

A nice soothing song while taking in some vicious facts.

Tomorrow, the Wild get a special afternoon matinee (not so special for those of us in the Twin Cities who have the Wild and Gopher Football team on at the same time) up in Winnipeg against those pesky Jets. The game is the team's third game on a four game road trip that has taken them across Central/Eastern Canada,  and ending in St. Louis on Monday.

Chalk Talk: How To Make Four Defenders Look Bad

Its late in the third. Ottawa tied up the game earlier on a power play after Jason Pominville took a stupid penalty. The Wild are desperately trying not to lose on back to back nights, after winning their last four games. 

So who do you call to get a big go ahead goal late in the game? Zach Parise? No. Pominville? No. Dany Heatley? Haha. 

Houses of Horrors

Its been a decade since the Wild have won in Ottawa. Photo: Front Page Media Group

Last night, the Wild rode a two goal performance from Mikko Koivu and a 21 save effort from Josh Harding to a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. The win was the fourth in a row for the Wild, and pushed their record on the young season to 13-4-4.

Taking The Foot Off The Pedal

Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Last night, the Wild closed out their three game homestand with a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. The win gave the Wild a sweep of the homestand, and was their fourth straight victory overall.

3-on-3: Wild After 20 Games

Josh Harding has played a huge part in the Wild's hot start. Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images 

Essentially, we are a quarter into this season. Pretty crazy considering we have only been playing hockey for a month and a half now, but when you think about the compressed schedule due to the Olympic break, it makes sense.

So now that the Wild have completed roughly a quarter of their season, lets do a little three-on-three for the team as a whole.

Moving On

Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

Last night, we witnessed one of the worst individual displays of hockey from Leafs forward Nazem Kadri (this is where Leaf fans quit reading).

In one hockey game, Kadri managed to distribute a shot to the head of Niklas Backstrom (which caused the Wild goalie to leave the game) and handed out another high blow to Mikael Granlund, which earned him a match penalty.

Ryan Suter: Minnesota's Iron Man

Check back tomorrow, where we compare Jonas Brodin to Pepper Potts.

Since his arrival in the NHL, Ryan Suter has become one of the more well-conditioned players in the league. He built that reputation up with the Nashville Predators, and it has become very front and center now with the Minnesota Wild.

Monday Thoughts

Photo: Gerry Broome/AP

Good afternoon everyone. Good to see the squad pick up a shootout victory after we talked about the lack of goal scoring in shootouts on Saturday. Here are some thoughts as we head into a three game home stand:

Shootout Woes

Photo: Rob Carr

Last year, the Wild had tremendous success in the shootout thanks to the addition of Zach Parise. Parise brought a goal scoring skill set that the Wild have not seen since the likes of Marian Gaborik roamed these parts, but even he was not great in the shootouts.

Visting The Nation's Capital

A picture of Jaromir Jagr is always a good way to start a post

For those of you wondering why a picture of Jaromir Jagr is preceding this post, the answer is quite simple: The last time the Minnesota Wild won in the nation's capital, Jaromir Jagr was a member of the Washington Capitals.

The Fourth Line Resurgence

Zenon Konopka finally registered a point! Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

“Dany Heatley gets put on our line. Total professional. Instead of coming with a bad attitude to our line, total opposite. So excited to play with me and Mitchell, raised our game and was excited to play with us. I think it shows the unselfishness of him and being a true professional.”-Zenon Konopka


Prior to the Wild's game Sunday night against New Jersey, Mike Yeo decided to switch up his lines in order to spark a little more offense. One of the switches he made was sending Dany Heatley (noted 50 goal scorer and All-Star in the NHL) down to the fourth line alongside Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell.

Dany Heatley Is Not Going Anywhere

It has not been a great start for the former 50 goal scorer. Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

During the summer, I argued why Dany Heatley needed to stay with the Wild. The main points of argument in the article stated that Heatley gives the Wild more depth and gives them much more flexibility in the summer for free agency (when his $7.5M cap hit comes off the book).

October Wrap Up

Trying another new feature here where we wrap up each month by looking back at the best players, plays, and game. Here is the Team of 18,001's October Wrap Up:

The Last Time Montreal Visited St. Paul

Todd Richards was our head coach. Jose Theodore was our starting goaltender. Mikko Koivu scores on a penalty shot. Young PK Subban lit up the Wild for a hat trick and lead the Habs to a 8-1 rout of the Wild.

But a lot can change in two and a half years.

Wild and Montreal drop the puck at 7:00 tonight.

Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

Chalk Talk: The Evolution of Mikael Granlund

Last season Mikael Granlund made his much anticipated debut in a Wild sweater. His rookie season was far from what we hoped as the then 20 year old looked overwhelmed and only played 12 games in the lockout shortened season.

This year however, Granlund is an exact opposite. He entered the season on the third line after competing for the second line center position with Charlie Coyle and lost out (he was solid in the preseason but Coyle was equally as good). But an injury to Coyle moved Granlund up to the second line and he has yet to disappoint.

What To Do With Matt Dumba

Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

Last night, the Wild took one on the teeth courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 at Xcel Energy Center. Leading up to, during, and after the game there was a lot of talk regarding Matt Dumba and the fact that this is his ninth game of the season (any games played after nine, burns a year off the entry level deal).

A Rare Feat

Photo: Nam Y. Huh/AP

Tonight, in what one hopes to be a playoff atmosphere at Xcel Energy Center (its the regular season so I have doubts about fans actually being anywhere close to playoff mode), the Wild take on those same Blackhawks after defeating them 5-3 two nights ago in Chicago.

So as the teams come into tonight's matchup, the Wild are riding a three game winning streak and the Hawks are riding a two game losing streak (yeah, hard to believe Chicago is human after all). Not something that frequently happens anymore.

Vanek Watch: The Island Is Calling

Photo: Gary Wiepert/AP

A quiet evening in the NHL (sans a Brandon Dubinsky hit on Saku Koivu) turned into complete haywire when Arthur Staple of New York Newsday tweeted the following:

The Unfriendly Confines of United Center

Photo: Rob Grabowski/USA Today

Travel time may be short, but there have been many long flights home for the Minnesota Wild following recent trips to the United Center in recent years.

Including the playoffs, the Wild have lost six of the past seven games in the "Madhouse on Madison". The last Wild victory in Chicago came on April 1, 2012 when they won 5-4 in a shootout. During that stretch they are allowing an average of 4.14 goals against while only scoring an average of 2.14 goals per game. But also keep in mind that the Blackhawks have a new pair of Stanley Cup banners hanging in the rafters thanks to the past five seasons, so its just not the Wild who have difficulties in the United Center.

Splitting Up Koivu and Parise

Could Koivu and Parise be on different lines soon?-Twincities.com

This morning, Paul Allen of KFAN did one of his "Vox in the Box" shows from the Xcel Energy Center penalty box during the morning skate. It has become a popular show (given the fact that there really are no big daytime radio shows in this town that focus on hockey) for the Vikings play by play voice, as he puts a quality show together featuring Wild coaches, players, analysts, etc.

Jacques Lemaire Talks About The Lack Of Wild Goals

See, even he is puzzled as to why this team can't find twine. 

Wild take on the Hurricanes (4-2-3, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division) tonight at 7:00, where they try and go TWO consecutive games with scoring multiple goals.

Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

Hockey Fights Cancer

For those who come to the site often, you find that I like to special event logos up in the top right corner of the main banner. The logos range from Stanley Cup Playoffs to NHL Draft to an American Flag for the Fourth of July.

But for the month of October, there will be just one logo in the top corner, and it is for Hockey Fights Cancer.

3 on 3: The Wild's Four Game Road Trip

(Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Well the Wild wrapped up their four game road trip last night with a 2-1 shootout loss to Florida. The loss put them at 1-2-1 on the road trip, the only win coming against Buffalo. So lets do some three on three to wrap up this trip.

Key To The Game vs Florida

The Wild take on the Florida Panthers tonight, in Sunrise, Florida. Tim Thomas will be between the pipes for the South Beach Kitties.

About These Advanced Stats

The last few days, the hockey stats world has been looking at the Wild and their rather ridiculous stat lines to open the season. And while that is good and all, the Wild's nice stat line has lead to back to back losses where the hometown squad has only found the back of the net twice.

Leave Darcy Kuemper Alone

-NHL.com

In a back to back series in Buffalo and Toronto to open up the season, Mike Yeo thought it best to start two goalies in the two games instead of just one (like he did several times last year). Josh Harding took the Monday night start in Buffalo, leaving last night's game with Toronto for young netminder Darcy Kuemper.

Not Something You See Everyday

Early in the second period of the Wild's 2-1 victory in Buffalo, it was former Wild prospect Johan Larsson giving a heavy hit to defenseman Clayton Stoner. Now Stoner is a big defenseman and is more prone to giving out hits, not taking them, especially when it comes to Larsson who is a bit smaller.

Pretty big hit for the kid. Not something you typically see everyday...

Wild take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto tonight at 6 PM. 

Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

Sunday Morning Thoughts

In the wake of a 5-1 rout of the Stars last night, the Wild are now 2-1-2 and head out on a four game trip through the Atlantic Division. Here are some thoughts from the past week and for the week ahead.

A Guide For Wild Fans When Playing The Jets

Tomorrow marks the third all time meeting between the Wild and Jets, since the team returned to Winnipeg. There has just been one previous meeting between the two at Xcel Energy Center, and it was a 4-3 shootout win for the Jets back in February 2012.

3-On-3: Minnesota Wild After Three Games

Today we are going to try a new segment here on the site called 3 on 3. We take a topic, in this case its the Wild as a whole, and give three positives and negatives related to that topic. Now before we dive in please watch the video below and take its advice to heart.

Tale of the Tape: Marco Scandella's Game vs Anaheim

Following Saturday night's defeat to the Ducks, Mike Yeo said "I'm not here to call anybody out. I want to focus on the positives from this game." Some positives include: The power play and Mikael Granlund's continued outstanding play.

But you have to think that yesterday when he went over the tape of the game, the negative above all others was Marco Scandella.

Remembering A Terrible Tragedy

It was September 29th, 2003. Dan Snyder had found out he had made the Atlanta Thrashers opening night roster. The team was set to open up the season in four days at home against Columbus, so Snyder and his good friend Dany Heatley decided to go out and celebrate.

Minnesota And The Selection Of The 3 Stars

This morning, I was drinking my morning coffee while going through some game recaps, tweets, etc in regards to last night's NHL action. Nothing too out noteworthy unless you still want to talk about the Patrick Roy/Bouce Boudreau rift.

Jason Pominville Signs 5 Year Extension

 

Much like the Maple Leafs and Phil Kessel on Tuesday, the Wild announced via Twitter that the team has signed Jason Pominville to a five year extension just hours before the season opener against Los Angeles.

Lets Play Hockey

Tonight, the Wild open their season at home against the Los Angeles Kings. So what better way to get the season started, then have the most recognizable athlete in Minnesota get the Wild season kicked off? We welcome Vikings RB Adrian Peterson to get us underway (this is for all you displaced Viking fans who have already made it over to the hockey forums).

Take it away, Adrian!

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild

Forward Lines

Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Jason Pominville

Nino Niederreiter-Charlie Coyle-Dany Heatley

Matt Cooke-Kyle Brodziak-Mikael Granlund

Justin Fontaine-Zenon Konopka-Torrey Mitchell

Injured: Mike Rupp

 

Defensive Pairings

Ryan Suter-Jonas Brodin

Marco Scandella-Jared Spurgeon

Keith Ballard-Matt Dumba

Extras: Clayton Stoner, Nate Prosser

 

Goaltenders

Niklas Backstrom

Josh Harding

 

Head Coach

Mike Yeo

Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Mike Yeo

Two summers ago, Mike Yeo was the new bench boss in Minnesota. He was brought in after pitching to GM Chuck Fletcher his plan to give this team an identity, make them more aggressive, and get them to push for higher goals (like winning). This coming after his predecessor on the bench, Todd Richards, seemed to lack the aforementioned aspects.

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: The X-Factors

After looking closely at the forwards, defense, and goaltending, its time to single out a player from each of those areas who most needs to make an impact on the Wild roster this season to help this team succeed.

Vanek Watch: The Co-Captain

-Buffalo Sabres

This morning after a team practice, Sabres head coach Ron Rolston (most noted for sending John Scott out to fight Phil Kessel in a preseason game) decided to announce his captain for the team, after the position was left vacant by now Wild forward Jason Pominville.

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Forwards

Two seasons ago, the Wild were the worst scoring team in the league. They averaged just over two goals per game and had the most lifeless offense in the NHL. So how does Chuck Fletcher fix that lifeless offense? He totally retools the forward position by infusing the lineup with a good mix of veteran stars and young kids with vast potential.

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: 5 Must See Games

 

With the NHL season one day away, and the Wild season three days away, lets take a look at the five must see games on the Wild calendar this season.

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Defense

Coming out of the 2011-12 season, the Minnesota Wild defense was just abysmal. They had traded away blueliners Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky, and Greg Zanon mid-season and brought in Tom Gilbert to help get a spark going offensively from the blueline (Gilbert had five assists while playing the role of top defenseman).

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Goaltending

“Goaltending beats top notch scoring anytime!” – Eddie Giacomin

This will be the sixth season that the Wild will open the season with Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding tag teaming in between the pipes. Together, they have been solid and have continuously given the Wild every chance possible to win games. But entering this season, both have question marks and appear to look not as strong to the casual fan as they used to. And now it seems both are not at 100 percent entering the season.

Postseason and Award Predictions

This season, the NHL is ushering in new divisions and a new way to get in the playoffs. The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, with a "wild card" team (meaning a team from either division with the best point total in the conference can take those spots) taking the seventh and eighth spots in both conferences. With all that in mind the matchups in the first round would be the division winner versus the wild card team and the number two team against the number three team.

Meet The New Divisions: Central Division

7. Winnipeg Jets-The Jets were a team who just missed the playoffs in a bad division. Now, they move into a much stronger division and will learn that they need to play more consistently to win. They have a few good players on this team, but they lack the depth that is necessary to help them win. The Jets fly right into the basement of the Central.

Meet The Central Division: Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg Jets

Head Coach: Claude Noel (3rd Season in WPG)

Arena: MTS Centre (Capacity: 15,004)

2012-13 Record: 24-21-3 (2nd in Southeast Division)

Record vs MIN in '12-13: Did Not Play

Leading Scorer: Andrew Ladd-46 points (18 G, 28 A)

Leading Goaltender: Ondrej Pavelec-44 G, 21-20-3, 2.80 GAA, .905 SV%

Jonas Brodin and Mike Yeo Join NHL Live

Yesterday Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin and head coach Mike Yeo joined NHL Live after practice at Xcel Energy Center. ICYMI, here are the videos:

Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

Preseason Thoughts: New Fourth Line?

Last night the Wild, with what would appear to be their opening night roster, took down the St. Louis Blues 4-1 in the final home exhibition game. The Wild are now 4-1 on the preseason, the only loss being the 3-1 defeat to Columbus in the opener.

Meet The Central Division: St. Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues

Head Coach: Ken Hitchcock (3rd season in STL)
Arena: Scottrade Center (Capacity: 19,150)

2012-13 Record: 29-17-2 (2nd in Central)

Record vs MIN in '12-13: 3-0-0

Leading Scorer: Chris Stewart-36 points (18 G, 18 A)

Leading Goaltender: Brian Elliott-24 G, 14-8-1, 2.28 GAA, .907 SV%

Meet The Central Division: Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators

Head Coach: Barry Trotz (15th season in NSH)
Arena: Bridgestone Arena (Capacity: 17,113)

2012-13 Record: 16-23-9 (last in Central Division)

Record vs MIN in '12-13: 1-0-2

Leading Scorer: Shea Weber-28 points (9 G, 19 A)

Leading Goaltender: Pekka Rinne-43 G, 15-16-8, 2.43 GAA, .910 SV%

Notable Tough Guys In Wild History

The past few days, fighting has become front and center in the NHL news stream. And to be honest here, fighting has become more staged than anything, making it a joke to the game now (this rant will be saved for a different day).

But for fun today, we take a trip down memory lane and look back at the notable "goons" in Wild history.

Meet The Central Division: Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars

Head Coach: Lindy Ruff (1st season with DAL)
Arena: American Airlines Center (Capacity: 18,532)

2012-13 Record: 22-22-4 (Last in Pacific Division)

Record vs MIN in '12-13: 1-2-0

Leading Scorer-Jamie Benn: 33 pts (12 G, 21 A)

Leading Goaltender-Kari Lehtonen: 36 G, 15-14-3, 2.66 GAA, .916 SV%

Meet The Central Division: Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche

Head Coach: Patrick Roy (1st season with COL)
Arena: Pepsi Center (Capacity: 18,007)

2012-13 Record: 16-25-7 (Last in Western Conference)

Record vs MIN in '12-13: 1-4-0

Leading Scorer: PA Parenteau/Matt Duchene-43 points

Leading Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov-35 G, 11-21-3, 3.02 GAA, .903 SV%

Meet The Central Division: Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks

2013 Stanley Cup Champions
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville (6th season with CHI)
Arena: United Center (Capacity: 19,717)

2012-13 Record: 36-7-5 (Presidents Trophy Winner)
Record vs MIN in '12-13: 2-0-1

Leading Scorer: Patrick Kane-55 Pts (23 G, 32 A)
Leading Goaltender: Corey Crawford-30 G, 19-5-5, 1.94 GAA, .926 SV%