Minnesota Wild Recap vs the Vancouver Canucks – February 19th, 2024

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Robb
Minnesota Wild Recap vs the Vancouver Canucks - February 19th, 2024

The Minnesota Wild celebrated President’s Day by playing a matinee…

The Vancouver Canucks are the best team in the National Hockey League… by points. We all know it doesn’t matter who has the most points in the regular season because that team rarely wins the Cup. They have 80 points with their 37-13-6 (W-L-OTL) record. They’ve done that by only losing 2 games in a row 3 times and having the 2nd best offense & 7 best defense in the league this season. 

The Wild split the first 2 games of this 3-game season series over 10 days in December, losing 2-0 in Vancouver then winning in a shootout at The X*. The Wild have to play like it’s playoff hockey every game right now because of where they are in the standings. They also can’t be happy with the way the last game finished, a 2-1 OTL to Buffalo where they allowed a late extra-man goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation then allowed the OT-GWG on a coverage mistake. With the way they’ve been playing since the All-Star break, 4-0-1, it will be fun to see how they respond.
*Game Notes, too!

2023-24 Minnesota Wild Schedule and Results
Record: 25-23-6 (56 points)

NHL Hockey Standings
6th in NHL Central Division
5 points behind St. Louis for the final playoff spot (because of tiebreakers)

2024 NHL Western Conference Wild Card Standings before the games on February 19th, 2024
2024 NHL Western Conference Wild Card Standings before the games on February 19th, 2024

Alright. Enough words. Let’s…

Drop the ClutterPuck!!!

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Here’s how the teams lined up:

Minnesota Wild

Vancouver Canucks

Status Report
Neither team skated. The Canucks and Wild are each on the first of a back-to-back.

Game Recap

1st Period

The Minnesota Wild had a good aggressive start to the game but just under 3 minutes in…

2:51 – Goal – Vancouver – Ian Cole (2) from Tyler Myers (17) & Pius Suter (8)

Vancouver Canucks D Tyler Myers interfered with Minnesota Wild F Vinni Lettieri and that gave Ian Cole all the time in the world to pick a spot to shoot. He picked the upper left corner and it might be because Wild G Filip Gustavsson was out of position trying to see around the screen. He was looking to his left and moved outside of the left goalpost. Obviously, he has to try to see the shot but it can’t take him out of position. Any goalies out there? Feel free to give your thoughts on this. Does he have to move to the other side or get low? Does he have time to do that? He barely misses making the save too. 

Vancouver Canucks 1 | 0 Minnesota Wild

It doesn’t look like Tyler Myers interfered with Lettieri on purpose but that doesn’t matter. That should be called interference. Officially Bad!

4:04 – Penalty – Vancouver – Conor Garland for High-Sticking Jake Middleton

Garland saw the replay while he was in the penalty box and rolled his eyes which is funny because the coach and most fans were probably rolling their eyes thinking, “control your stick. That’s nobody’s fault but your own!”

4:04 – Penalties – Coincidental Minors – Wild F Mats Zuccarello & Vancouver D Noah Juulsen for Unsportsmanlike Conduct 

The linesman went to drop the puck but didn’t. Zuccarello & Juulsen anticipated the puck hitting the ice then pushed and slashed each other so the official made them think about it for 2 minutes. That seems like a pointless call. 

4:04 – Penalty – Vancouver – Elias Lindholm for Roughing Joel Eriksson Ek

Ek hit Teddy Blueger and Elias Lindholm pushed Ek. The announcer (Ryan Carter) said this game has been pretty intense from the start so the officials were trying to keep things from getting out of hand right away. This is a pretty weak call too. 

The Wild had a lot of great chances but couldn’t capitalize on any of them. Their power play has been clicking at 23.6% (12th ranked) since the coaching change so hopefully, they get more chances. 

Just under 7 minutes left in the 1st period, Vancouver was breaking out of the middle of their zone with Fs J.T. Miller & Pius Suter 2-on-2 with Wild D Jonas Brodin & Zach Bogosian. Miller passed it to Suter but he wasn’t ready for it so the puck went to the right boards. Wild D Jonas Brodin got to the puck but Pius Suter reached around him with his stick to poke the puck away & now it was 2-on-1. Bogosian moved over to defend Suter and went down to take away the pass as Suter was passing it. The puck hit Bogosian’s gloves then was loose so Suter tried to backhand it back in front of the net but Jonas Brodin knocked it away & off the boards but it ended up on Vancouver D Noah Juulsen’s stick. He walked the blue line then took a shot that must’ve been blocked by Kaprizov but it hit off the glass behind the net and ended up coming back on the other side of the net where J.T. Miller was there to put it in the gaping net.

13:22 – Goal – Vancouver – J.T. Miller (25) from Noah Juulsen (5)

2 shots. 2 goals. That’s not good! 

Vancouver Canucks 2 | 0 Minnesota Wild

The Wild kept competing hard though. They were controlling the game but Vancouver took advantage of their chances.

With less than a minute to go in the 1st, Kirill Kaprizov was breaking out of the defensive zone and passed it to Matt Boldy who had a step on Vancouver D Filip Hronek but not enough to get a good shot so being on the left side of the net, Boldy must’ve seen Ek driving to the net so he curled back to his left to protect the puck & sent a pass to the front of the net that went off Joel Eriksson Ek’s skate & in the net for his 26th goal of the season and the Wild cut the lead in half. Late Goals are MONEY!

19:10 – Goal – Minnesota – Joel Eriksson Ek (26) from Matt Boldy (22) & Kirill Kaprizov (32)

Vancouver Canucks 2 | 1 Minnesota Wild

Huge goal to hopefully give the Wild some momentum to begin the 2nd period.

2nd Period

47 seconds into the 2nd, Minnesota Wild F Joel Eriksson Ek was called for Tripping after a Matt Boldy pass attempt deflected off of a stick for a turnover and Ek was battling for a loose puck and stuck his leg out as he was getting up. 

The Wild killed the penalty but Vancouver was dominating the 2nd period and eventually, F Elias Pettersson got open in the slot and buried his 29th goal of the season 

5:37 – Goal – Vancouver – Elias Pettersson (29) from Nils Hoglander (8) & Elias Lindholm (25)

The Wild got caught puck-watching on this one. Both Wild D Jonas Brodin & Brock Faber read the play to react but they weren’t close enough to Pettersson to make a difference on that play.

The moment both Wild D #25 Jonas Brodin & #7 Brock Faber realized Elias Pettersson was open in the slot, “Oh, CRAP!”

Vancouver Canucks 3 | 1 Minnesota Wild

8:23 – Penalty – Minnesota – Ryan Hartman for Interference on Phillip Di Giuseppe

Just a dumb penalty for Ryan Hartman. With the Wild trying to enter the offensive zone, Hartman put his stick on Di Giuseppe to give Kaprizov a lane into the zone. If he just stands there, maybe he’s fine. Of course, the officials didn’t call an interference penalty on the first goal of the game so… did Hartman think these officials called that play differently? Who knows?

Joel Eriksson Ek had a great chance for a short-handed goal but Casey DeSmith made the save. 

J.T. Miller then took advantage of a screen that was very similar to their 1st goal as Wild G Filip Gustavsson was trying to see the play and Miller shot the puck to the other side and he wasn’t able to get over in time to make the save. 

9:24 – Goal (PPG) – Vancouver – J.T. Miller (26) from Quinn Hughes (55) & Brock Boeser (25)

Vancouver Canucks 4 | 1 Minnesota Wild

96 seconds later, the Minnesota Wild took advantage of a bad change by the Vancouver Canucks defenseman. Wild F Mats Zuccarello went for a change & Matt Boldy came on to the ice behind him. Vancouver had dumped the puck in on the left side. Wild D Jon Merrill either knew about Boldy coming off the bench and the Canucks D changing or Joel Eriksson Ek was telling him &/or yelling at him to move the puck to him fast so he could make a pass off the boards and send Matt Boldy on a breakaway or maybe he was singing that Kelly Clarkson song to: 

“make a wish, take a chance, make a change And breakaway…”

Boldy likes that last bit about making a change and breaking away! He went upper right as Vancouver G Casey DeSmith was going down… OOPS!

11:00 – Goal – Minnesota – Matt Boldy (20) from Joel Eriksson Ek (21) & Jon Merrill (4)

Vancouver Canucks 4 | 2 Minnesota Wild

Right back in this one. Now they just have to keep the Canucks from scoring more goals…

3:30 later, Vancouver F Pius Suter fed a pass to J.T. Miller in the neutral zone. The pass was a little off target which was enough to get Wild D Zach Bogosian to make a reaching pokecheck at it but when he missed, that gave J.T. Miller a step on him & he was able to go around him on the right side. He’s a left-handed shot so he sent the puck under Bogosian’s outstretched stick to take a quick shot to the upper right corner and Vancouver had their 3-goal lead back.

14:30 – Goal – Vancouver – J.T. Miller (27) from Pius Suter (9)

Vancouver Canucks 5 | 2 Minnesota Wild

and yes, that’s a Hat Trick for J.T. Miller:

Conor Garland blocked a Joel Eriksson Ek shot and he had to be helped off the ice. He put his right leg down and the puck most likely hit him on the kneecap or close to it. It’s pretty amazing this doesn’t happen more often.

17:57 – Penalty – Vancouver – Nikita Zadorov for Holding Brandon Duhaime

Vancouver Canucks 5 | 3 Minnesota Wild

18:48 – Penalty – Vancouver – Teddy Blueger for High-Sticking Matt Boldy

So the Wild will have 1:09 of a 5-on-3 power play & they took the time out to get their best players on the ice. Getting a goal before the end of the period would give them some belief in a comeback and they’ve been creating scoring chances all game long.

Zuccarello tried to get a pass through to Kirill Kaprizov and it went off of Vancouver D Ian Cole’s skate and the skate of G Casey DeSmith and they still have 1:21 remaining on the power play.

19:27 – Goal (PPG) – Minnesota – Mats Zuccarello (10) from Kirill Kaprizov (33) & Joel Eriksson Ek 22)

The Wild got another chance as Brock Faber got through the defense & he sent it back toward the slot & Vancouver F Elias Pettersson hooked Wild F Mats Zuccarello which made him miss the pass but Kirill Kaprizov shot it after that but the net was being knocked off its moorings. The puck wound up in the goal but it went wide as the net was coming off the moorings then went under the net to appear to be a goal. We couldn’t find any footage of this on Twitter but it is shown at the 3:41 mark of the highlight video below.

19:51 – Penalty – Vancouver – Elias Pettersson for Hooking Mats Zuccarello

They’ll have 48 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play when the 3rd period begins.

3rd Period

Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes had Marc-Andre Fleury start the 3rd period after Filip Gustavsson allowed 5 goals on 16 shots. 

Ek won the opening faceoff and the Wild were able to set up and start moving the puck around with Ek in front of the net. Mats Zuccarello sent a hard pass at the blade of his stick for a tip-in and just 29 seconds into the 3rd period…

0:29 – Goal (PPG) – Minnesota – Joel Eriksson Ek (27) from Mats Zuccarello (32) & Ryan Hartman (13)

Vancouver Canucks 5 | 4 Minnesota Wild

19 seconds later, Vancouver Canucks F J.T. Miller tried to clear the zone off the glass but accidentally put it over the glass for a Delay of Game penalty and the Wild had another 5-on-3 power play for the 4th time in this game. This time they had 1:04 of a 2-man advantage.

They won the ensuing faceoff and eventually, Matt Boldy took a one-timer from the left slot and the rebound was loose and in a mass of humanity for about 13 seconds before it finally came out to Matt Boldy at the left faceoff dot. He passed it to Mats Zuccarello in the a lot and he made a one-timer pass to Kirill Kaprizov at the bottom of the right faceoff circle for a one-timer and…

This…

Game…

Was…

TIED!!!

1:23 – Goal (PPG) – Minnesota – Kirill Kaprizov (21) from Mats Zuccarello (33) & Matt Boldy (23)

Vancouver Canucks 5 | 5 Minnesota Wild

WOW! This is CRAZY!!!

The Canucks wanted to challenge for goalie interference but didn’t want to risk giving the Wild another 5-on-3 power play if the challenge didn’t go their way. 

So the Wild still had 1:25 left of power play time from the J.T. Miller penalty so Brock Faber came up center ice with the puck and he passed it to Joel Eriksson Ek. He carried it into the zone on the right boards and chipped it past the Canucks defender so Faber could get to it and wrap it around to the left side where Zuccarello let it go to Kirill Kaprizov at the left point. Ek went to the front of the net then went to the left slot to set up for a one-timer. Kaprizov sent the puck back down to Zuccarello and he caught it and immediately passed it to Ek for that one-timer and BOOM! The Wild took a 1-goal lead with their 3rd goal just 1:44 seconds into the 3rd period!

1:23 – Goal (PPG) – Minnesota – Joel Eriksson Ek (28) from Mats Zuccarello (34) & Kirill Kaprizov (34)

“Hey, do you wanna see me do a trick with a hat?…
Uhh… what does that mean?”

Do you ever wonder why it’s called a Hat Trick? That’s what Google is for! 🤣

Vancouver Canucks 5 | 6 Minnesota Wild

That also meant there was 18:16 remaining in the game and a 1-goal lead didn’t seem safe in this game. 

A little under 3:30 minutes later, Wild F Vinni Lettieri dumped the puck down the left side. Wild F Marco Rossi got in on the forecheck to force Quinn Hughes to either make a quick play with the puck or let it go. He let it go and Wild F Jake Lucchini picked it up, curled around the right corner and threw it at the net where Marco Rossi had gone to screen the goalie or just be there and the puck went off his right skate and into the net! 

4:48 – Goal – Minnesota – Marco Rossi (15) from Jake Lucchini (1) & Vinni Lettieri (4)

Vancouver Canucks 5 | 7 Minnesota Wild

24 seconds later…

Vancouver D Noah Juulsen tried to make a pass to the neutral zone but it was intercepted by Joel Eriksson Ek and he quickly passed it to Kaprizov on the right side. Kaprizov made a move through the back of his legs to get around Hughes and sent the puck to the front of the net trying to get it to Ek but it was broken up by Juulsen. Ek didn’t give up on the play so Juulsen’s pass was broken up by Ek &/or Boldy and Boldy wound up with it and had a step on Juulsen to get to the net. Juulsen kept bothering him with his stick so Boldy tried a wraparound. Canucks D Quinn Hughes covered Ek in front of the net but nobody covered Kaprizov as he was going to the net. Boldy’s wraparound ended up going right to Kaprizov for a one-timer and now an 8-5 lead! WHAT? 

5:12 – Goal – Minnesota – Kirill Kaprizov (22) from Matt Boldy (24)

*No assist for Ek there? But Suter got an assist on the 2nd goal? 

Vancouver Canucks 5 | 8 Minnesota Wild

Wild announcer Anthony LaPanta was so excited he forgot how to count as he screamed,

“SIX GOALS IN 5:12!!! It’s 8-5 MINNESOTA!!!”

After the replay, he still said 6 goals but it was 5-3 at the start of the period so… yeah! 😂 We’ll give him some slack as it was PANDEMONIUM for most of those 5 minutes. 

It was 5 goals in 5:12 but it was 6 goals in 5:45 going back to the Wild goal with 33 seconds left in the 2nd period.

Canucks F J.T. Miller won a battle for the puck on the right half-wall and passed the puck to Nikita Zadorov at the left point and he skated in a took a shot from the top of the left circle that beat Fleury to the right side as he was trying to see around a screen.

8:26 – Goal – Vancouver – Nikita Zadorov (3) from J.T. Miller (47) & Pius Suter (10)

Vancouver Canucks 6 | 8 Minnesota Wild

Wild D Jake Middleton took a tripping penalty when he was battling for position in front of the net with Brock Boeser and when he got it loose, it came down and got in the feet of Tyler Myers for a tripping penalty. 

The Wild killed it off and Vancouver pulled their goalie with 2:20 remaining in regulation and it took them just 12 seconds to score to get within 1 goal.

The Wild won the faceoff but with the extra man, Vancouver had 3 on 2 and won the puck battle beneath the goal line and sent it back to Filip Hronek at the right point. He went D-to-D to his defensive partner D Quinn Hughes and he made a shot-pass to the blade of Brock Boeser’s stick in front of the net for a deflection into the net. 

2:08 – Goal – Vancouver – Brock Boeser (31) from Quinn Hughes (56) & Filip Hronek (38)

Vancouver Canucks 7 | 8 Minnesota Wild

Oh, boy! The Canucks will still have to pull their goalie but that was too easy. 

With a little over a minute to go, the Canucks dumped the puck into the right corner and Jonas Brodin had time to shoot it all the way down the ice to put the Wild up by 2 again.

Vancouver Canucks 7 | 9 Minnesota Wild

Then with 14 seconds remaining, the Wild cleared their zone and Kirill Kaprizov intercepted the pass and took a shot at the empty net for a hat trick and….

OPA!!!

Vancouver Canucks 7 | 10 Minnesota Wild

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Final

Shift Chart

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Postgame

Hynes postgame vs VAN 2/19 | Minnesota Wild

Kaprizov postgame vs VAN 2/19 | Minnesota Wild

Eriksson Ek postgame vs VAN 2/19 

Boldy postgame vs VAN 2/19 | Minnesota Wild

Hartman postgame vs VAN 2/19 | Minnesota Wild

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Next up: 

The Wild head to Winnipeg to take on the Jets on Tuesday night at 7 pm on Bally Sports North!

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Thanks for Reading!!! 

Bring the Clutter in the comments &/or on 

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn…

AND…as always…

Posted in News/Transactions, NHL Hockey, Wild Game Recaps | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Minnesota Wild Recap at the Arizona Coyotes – ❤️February 14th, 2024

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Robb
Minnesota Wild Recap at the Arizona Coyotes - February 🩷14th🩷, 2024

The Minnesota Wild went to Arizona to face the Coyotes who had lost 6 games in a row so you could look at it as a trap game, especially after a huge win in Vegas on Monday night. That means this is a test of where this Minnesota Wild team is mentally. Do they show up and play their game? Or do they let an Arizona Coyotes team get their game going? 

There was some redemption for the Minnesota Wild in this game as well since they were embarrassed at home in a 6-0 win one month ago on January 13th.

AND… it’s Valentine’s Day so… I’m not sure where this is going but…

We LOVE Hockey, though! from Saucy Mitts & Red Bubble

2023-24 Minnesota Wild Schedule and Results
Record:
24-23-5 (53 points)
6th in NHL Central Division

NHL Hockey Wild Card Standings

NHL Western Conference Wild Card Standings before the games on February 14th, 2024

Arizona wore their Desert Night jerseys or as we like to call them, their tablecloth & napkin jerseys:

Here are starting goalie Connor Ingram’s goalie pads:

“I can’t believe I have to wear this!”
A goalie… ➡️ uhh… goalie  ➡️ ugh… goalie ➡️ UGLY!

See…that looks like a napkin design:

Alright. Enough words. Let’s…

Drop the ClutterPuck!!!

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Here’s how the teams lined up:

Minnesota Wild Projected Lineup at the Arizona Coyotes - February 14th, 2024
Arizona Coyotes Projected Lineup vs the Minnesota Wild - February 14th, 2024

Game Recap

1st Period

It looked like Minnesota Wild F Matt Boldy was going to get to the puck first 2 & a half minutes into the game but the linesman whistled the play down for icing.*

*Icing rule? Is it a race to the dot? No but kind of!

2023-24 NHL Rulebook – Rule 85: Icing – the rule on a race to the puck

Wild F Freddy Gaudreau was called for a trip because he put his stick in the feet of Arizona F Nick Bjugstad.

Arizona F Nick Bjugstad blocked a shot and got a breakaway but Minnesota Wild G Marc-Andre Fleury made the save.

Wild D Dakota Mermis was called for holding but both players may have been holding. Mermis was trying to get away but couldn’t because he was also being held but the official didn’t see that. We’re not fans of the holding penalty and/or the way it’s called. A lot of times it’s called as Touching instead of Holding.

Minnesota Wild F Marcus Johansson was hit in the face with a high stick from Arizona D J. J. Moser to give the Minnesota Wild their 1st power play of the game.

14:01 – Goal (PPG) – Joel Eriksson Ek (24) from Matt Boldy (21) & Kirill Kaprizov (30) 

A shot went wide and Minnesota F Kirill Kaprizov was the first to the loose puck beneath the goal line. He quickly sent the puck behind the net to Matt Boldy who immediately took it to the front of the net then made a backhand pass through the feet of Arizona D ? to Joel Eriksson Ek for a one-timer just over Arizona G ? left pad and a 1-0 lead!

Minnesota Wild 1 | 0 Arizona Coyotes

The Wild outshot Arizona 21-7 in that period!

2nd Period

Wild F Marco Rossi was obviously tripped in the defensive zone and there was no call. Arizona F Matias Maccelli even looked back at the official as he was getting to the loose puck. The in-zone official was blocked by the net, the goalie and a couple of players as he was in the opposite corner. The neutral zone official has to see that then & if he can’t, then maybe there should be another official on the ice because that’s an obvious penalty.

Later in the period, Matt Boldy went through the Coyote defensemen with another Coyote trailing him with a slick move and almost scored. He is taking the next step before our eyes. He has looked like a different player in the last few games as he’s starting to realize he has the talent to take over a game. 

16:22 – Goal – Arizona – Nick Schmaltz 

Wild G Marc-Andre Fleury was bumped by Arizona F Barrett Hayton while he was trying to make the save so Wild coach John Hynes challenged the play for Goaltender Interference and…

No Goal!!!

The goal was taken off the board so it was still…

Minnesota Wild 1 | 0 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona had a scoring chance a minute later with a couple guys driving the net but the Wild defenders made plays on sticks to make those chances difficult and Fleury was able to freeze the puck. 

On the ensuing faceoff, Arizona won it and they eventually had the puck in the right corner (to Wild G Fleury’s left) on the stick of D Sean Durzi. He tried to take the puck to the net and Wild D Jonas Brodin broke it up* but he was able to get a shot off as he was falling down. The shot was weak and easily stopped by Marc-Andre Fleury. Brodin the took the puck, went around the net to break out of the zone then passed it to Connor Dewar going up the right side. Dewar had Durzi pursuing him on the backcheck but he pulled the puck back to avoid the poke check then found Brodin alone in the right slot and he shot it to the blocker side. The puck hit J.J. Moser’s leg then bounced off the ice and went over Connor Ingram’s right pad.
*He may have tripped him to make him lose his balance and the puck. The official was in the corner again and didn’t make a call. It’s in the highlight video at the 4:30 mark.

19:39 – Goal – Minnesota – Jonas Brodin (3) from Connor Dewar (3) & Marc-Andre Fleury (1)

Arizona D J.J. Moser (#90) turned to skate forward to get even or take away a pass to driving Wild F Jake Lucchini but that meant he couldn’t see who had the puck or where it was until he turned. He probably could’ve changed the play and guided the back-checkers to defend the trailing players but nobody accounted for Jonas Brodin or Vinni Lettieri:

Minnesota Wild 2 | 0 Arizona Coyotes

At the end of the period after a Coyotes shot on goal, Arizona & former Wild draft pick F Jack McBain stopped short of going to the net to put his shoulder into Wild F Mats Zuccarello so a scrum developed quickly with a lot of Wild players going after McBain. Jonas Brodin was pushing McBain’s head down and apparently took McBain’s helmet off so the official called Roughing on Brodin and nothing else. That’s terrible officiating. McBain went in long after the horn to end the period.

You can hear the official say, “I got 25 & that’s it. You took his helmet right off!” Obviously said official didn’t see what McBain did to start the whole thing. Again, terrible officiating! Brodin is pushing him down and his helmet came off. McBain put a shoulder into Zuccarello. Also, why does it matter that he took his helmet off?

You have to wonder if the Wild scores another goal or two if someone asks McBaim to throw down. 

3rd Period

2022 3rd overall pick & former Minnesota Gopher F Logan Cooley is showing why he left for the professional ranks. He has immense talent and showed it on this play.

5:21 – Goal – Arizona – Logan Cooley (7) from Jack McBain (10) & Juuso Valimaki (8)

Logan Cooley got a pass as he was skating up the left side in the neutral zone. Wild D Brock Faber looks like he lost an edge and that might be what makes the play possible. Cooley faked to the inside then pushed forward to get some space then took a shot but Faber’s stick got a piece of the shot &/or a piece of Cooley’s stick to effect the shot and it snuck through the 5-hole of Wild G Marc-Andre Fleury to cut the lead in half.

It’s pretty crazy that his just his 7th goal of the season!

Minnesota Wild 2 | 1 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona D Matt Dumba took a high-sticking penalty on his former teammate Kirill Kaprizov after he had a scoring chance. Dumba put his stick around his head and it looked like he got him somewhere. Dumba was incensed in the penalty box but it’s just like every other stick infraction…

Don’t Put Your Stick There!

*Careful with that! No Jokes!

If it looks like a penalty, most of the time it’s going to be called a penalty so the only way to avoid those calls are to not put your stick in a player’s hands, feet or near his head and SKATE TO DEFEND! It’s either that or keep being frustrated with the calls! It seems like a no-brainer decision, doesn’t it? 

Minnesota Wild F Joel Eriksson broke up a play in the neutral zone, corralled the loose puck then passed to Matt Boldy on the far side. Boldy made an immediate move when he caught the pass to get a step on the Arizona defender then used his speed to get in alone on the goalie and shot at the 5-hole. It appeared Arizona G Karel Vemelka made the save but the puck was still loose under him so when he moved his feet, he kicked it into the net as Matt Boldy was skating behind the net to have the perfect view of the puck crossing the goal line for his 19th goal of the season. YESSSS!!!

Minnesota Wild 3 | 1 Arizona Coyotes

The Wild had to sustain a push from Arizona in the waning minutes including a Nick Schmaltz shot off the post but the score did not change and that’s 4 straight for the Minnesota Wild as continue to push for the playoffs!

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Final

Shift Chart

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Next up: 

The Minnesota Wild return home for a Saturday matinee as they will look to make it 5 in a row:

🆚: Buffalo Sabres
🏟️: The X / Xcel Energy Center
⏰: 4:00 pm 🕓
📺: Bally Sports North

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Thanks for Reading!!! 

Bring the Clutter in the comments &/or on 

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn…

AND…as always…

Posted in Wild Game Recaps, Minnesota Wild, NHL Hockey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Minnesota Wild Recap vs the Nashville Predators – January 25th, 2024

Posted on January 27, 2024 by Robb

The Minnesota Wild tried to make it 4 in a row in a big division game against the Nashville Predators. It was big because it’s in the division but it was bigger because Nashville still held on to the final playoff spot by just 4 points in the standings and Nashville had lost 3 of their last 4 games.

2023-24 Minnesota Wild Schedule and Results

NHL Hockey Standings

Alright. Enough words. Let’s…

Drop the ClutterPuck!!!

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Here’s how the teams lined up:

Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild Lineup vs the Nashville Predators - January 25th, 2024

Status Report

Gustavsson will make his fourth start in five games. … Fleury is day to day; the goalie has missed two games. … Lettieri, a forward who has missed 13 games, took part in the Wild morning skate Thursday in a non-contact jersey.

Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators Lineup at the Minnesota Wild - January 25th, 2024

Status Report

The Predators did not hold a morning skate Thursday.

Game Recap

1st Period

Nashville scored just over a minute into the game but it was ruled no goal due to the puck being tipped in off a stick that was too high by McCarron. 

This game was not very exciting as both teams didn’t want to give up anything.

The Minnesota Wild were outshot 11-6 in the 1st period but it was still scoreless.

2nd Period

The Minnesota Wild were the better team in the 2nd but part of that was due to Nashville taking 3 penalties in the first 11:58 and the Wild finally made them pay when he was parked in front of the goalie and tipped in a Kirill Kaprizov shot from the left slot to put them up 1-0!

It’s kind of a weird play because Wild F Mats Zuccarello’s pass forced Kirill Kaprizov to catch the puck on his backhand and quickly move it to his forehand to take a shot. You’d think that would’ve given the Predators time to block his shot but Cole Smith wanted to get down to block the shot but forgot to extend or lead with his stick so Kaprizov was able to get the shot through and it went off of Minnesota Wild F Joel Eriksson Ek’s right knee the Nashville Predators G Jussi Saros’ glove and in the net.

12:44 – Goal (PPG) – Minnesota – Joel Eriksson Ek (21) from Kirill Kaprizov (25) & Mats Zuccarello (29)

Nashville Predators 0 | 1 Minnesota Wild

The Wild outshot Nashville 11-4 in the 2nd period.

3rd Period

The Minnesota Wild are 14-0-1 (W-L-OTL) when leading the game going into the 3rd period & 8-0-0 at home. The loss was a shootout loss against Ottawa in Sweden but you still have to play the game. Records don’t mean anything.

90 seconds into the 3rd, the Minnesota Wild kind of won a faceoff in the offensive zone but Nashville F Kiefer Sherwood got his stick underneath Kirill Kaprizov’s stick to knock it back to give his team control of the puck. D Alexandre Carrier sent the puck to his defensive partner Jeremy Lauzon. He sent it into the neutral zone in an attempt to get it to F Yakov Trenin but Minnesota Wild D Dakota Mermis broke it up. The loose puck went into the Wild’s zone. Wild D Jake Middleton tried to swat it out of the zone with a one-handed swing but it hit Preds F Kiefer Sherwood and “it was just lying there” for Yakov Trenin. Meanwhile, Wild Fs Kirill Kaprizov & Mats Zuccarello are coasting and watching the play and even when Kaprizov sees Trenin get the puck, he doesn’t take a full stride to try to get to him as quickly as possible. He shuffles to gain some speed but Trenin was still able to take a look and find Alexandre Carrier skating into open ice for a Grade A scoring opportunity and he beat Wild G Filip Gustavsson to the upper left corner to tie the game at 1-1.

12:44 – Goal – Nashville – Alexandre Carrier (4) from Yakov Trenin (3) & Kiefer Sherwood (7)*

*The scorers didn’t give Sherwood an assist! The goal doesn’t happen without him being in the way of Middleton’s clearing attempt.

Nashville Predators 1 | 1 Minnesota Wild

Are players & coaches yelling at Kaprizov & Zuccarello to find the trailing player?

Jake Middleton probably could’ve played the puck a little better than just taking a one-hand swing at the puck. He could’ve been more physical or used his body to protect the puck. The swat is kind of a prayer play in that you hope it works but if it doesn’t, it can go bad quickly.

53 seconds later, the Minnesota Wild were down 2-1 after Predators F Filip Forsberg tipped a Roman Josi shot past Filip Gustavsson! Oh, boy!

2:19 – Goal – Nashville – Filip Forsberg (23) from Roman Josi (32) & Ryan O’Reilly (24)

Nashville Predators 2 | 1 Minnesota Wild

A tipped shot is probably the hardest shot to make a save on for any goaltender because they can’t expect it. They have to read & track the puck, not what might happen.

About 8 minutes later, the Nashville Predators F Ryan O’Reilly carried the puck into the right corner of the offensive zone with Minnesota Wild F Matt Boldy harassing him most of the way but O’Reilly protected the puck well enough to drop it off to F Gustav Nyquist and he passed it to D Roman Josi at the right point. Josi took a shot from about the top of the right circle near the right boards. Wild D Brock Faber was covering O’Reilly in front of the net and the puck was coming right at him so he jumped to block it or brace for it to hit him. Wild G Filip Gustavsson looks like he knows where it’s going to be and he had his catching glove ready to make the save but the puck hits part of Brock Faber’s jersey and somehow goes over Gustavsson’s glove and into the net.

11:34 – Goal – Nashville – Roman Josi (10) from Gustav Nyquist (25) from  & Ryan O’Reilly (25)

Nashville Predators 3 | 1 Minnesota Wild

What should we take from this goal? Maybe do a better job of letting your goaltender see the shot so he can make the save but that’s about it.

Down by 2 now, the Wild had a lot of work to do and they got a power play when Preds D Jeremy Lauzon tripped Matt Boldy.

With 3:59 remaining in regulation and 41 seconds left in the power play, the Minnesota Wild won a faceoff at the right faceoff dot and Kirill Kaprizov sent it back to Brock Faber at the right point. Faber sent it to Matt Boldy at the right half-wall and he was pressured by Gustav Nyquist but Nyquist was more concerned with taking away the pass to the point then taking the puck away from Boldy. That allowed Boldy to move toward the faceoff dot. Nashville D Ryan McDonaugh was trying to take away the pass to Joel Erikkson Ek at the right of the net so Boldy was able to pull the puck back and fire a shot that beat Jussi Saros just over his extended right let pad and it was a 1-goal game once again.

3:51 – Goal – Minnesota – Matt Boldy (16) from Brock Faber (25) & Kirill Kaprizov (26)

Nashville Predators 3 | 2 Minnesota Wild

The Wild had some life and still time to pull the goalie to try to get the equalizer.

With 5.1 seconds left and an offensive zone faceoff, the Minnesota Wild still had some hope if they could win the faceoff. Joel Eriksson Ek was tossed out of the faceoff so Matt Boldy had to take the draw. He sent it to the left boards then was tripped by Brock Faber’s stick when Predators D Jeremy Lauzon got his stick in to disrupt the play. Mats Zuccarello went to the puck to try to get to it and throw it at the net and Lauzon put him into the boards maybe a little harder than he needed to and Zuccy didn’t like it so a scrum ensued.

These two teams play two more times this season. The first is on Leap Day, February 29th in Nashville and then on March 10th at the X so before & after the Trade Deadline. Where will they be in the standings then?

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Final

Game Summary - Minnesota Wild vs the Nashville Predators - January 25th, 2024

Shift Chart

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Next up: 

The Minnesota Wild will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they close out the 18th annual Hockey Day Minnesota with a game against the Anaheim Ducks at 8 pm on Bally Sports North!

Thanks for Reading!!! 

Bring the Clutter in the comments &/or on 

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn…

AND…as always…

Bring the Clutter Every Day in Every Way!
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The Daily Clutter for Tuesday, January 16th, 2024 – Issue #16

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Robb

What is The Daily Clutter? 

It’s pretty simple. The Clutter is us but it’s also the news about Minnesota hockey & hockey in general and we want to Bring The Clutter to you, our fans or The ClutterPuckers, daily!

Alright! What do we have for today’s Clutter? The ranking of best under-23 players & prospects, does the media know more than the teams they cover? even in Canada?, Trade Deadline stuff how crazy it is how confidence flips a switch to help teams and the Minnesota Wild win!

We might sprinkle in some other fun things, too. 

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Ranking the top NHL players and prospects under 23: Connor Bedard leads the list – The Athletic

It’s always fun to see how your favorite team’s players & prospects rank in these lists and how many they get on the list. The Minnesota Wild have 9 players on this list of 169 players:

Tier 4
NHL All-Star
11. F Matt Boldy (NHL)

Tier 6
Top of the lineup player
30. D Brock Faber

Tier 6
Top of the lineup player
30. D Brock Faber (NHL)

Tier 7
Bubble top and middle of the lineup player
54. F Danila Yurov (KHL)
56. G Jesper Wallstedt (AHL)
58. F Marco Rossi (NHL)

Tier 8
Middle of the lineup player
125. F Caeden Bankier (AHL)
129. F Liam Ohgren (SHL)
143. F Charlie Stramel (NCAA)
169. F Marat Khusnatdinov (KHL)

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How Canucks’ management sticking to their guns despite media pressure is paying off

Jason Brough and Mike Halford praise the Vancouver Canucks’ management for how Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin proved doubters wrong by not folding to the pressure of the media and sticking to their guns when it came to retooling the team.

I just found this headline to be kind of stupid because has any team changed anything they’ve ever done due to “media pressure?” I haven’t read the article because of how stupid that is. I might post something later but… I doubt it. It’s actually a video so I listened to it and it was just as stupid.

Why would a team care what the media thinks or says or wants or anything? Thank you for promoting the team but we’re good on how to run the team. If you have anyone in the organization who needs help in deciding what they need to do to improve the team, they probably shouldn’t be there in the first place.

It is Canada and a lot of the media could be former players so they might have an idea what they’re talking about but that doesn’t change anything about it. Teams hire people to do the job because they’re qualified to do it. How many of the people were even paying attention to any of the media? 

Here’s another thing. Current Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet hasn’t even been there for a full year or a full season since he was hired on January 23rd, 2023. So… why would he change anything until his system and the structure and the culture were in place and then see how it goes for at least a full season?

WOW! This is so ridiculous! Does the media in Canada really think that much of themselves? That they could do a better job and they won’t give a coach even a full season to evaluate the team? That’s just sad but… come to think of it, that’s kind of how it goes in Minnesota too except the media aren’t former players, they’re idiot media personalities saying stupid things to get clicks and that is why I don’t listen or read it anymore.

Here’s a crazy idea. If you think you’re that good and can do it yourself, stop talking about it and go do it! Or, in other words…

BRING THE CLUTTER!!!

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The Trade Deadline isn’t until March 8th but teams are starting to figure out what they need to go on the long ‘Cup run!

The NHL Trade Deadline is still 52 days away on March 8th but every team is figuring out what they need and/or what future assets they can get for their players.

Since Tampa Bay Lightning F Steven Stamkos is an impending free agent, there have been rumors that he might be moved but Lightning GM Julien BriseBois squashed that today by saying Stamkos ‘is not getting traded’ That’s interesting because if the Bolts, who the Minnesota Wild play tomorrow night, are currently in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference which would make you think they would be open to trading him if they were going to miss the playoffs. It’s also interesting because it must mean that they think they will be able to re-sign him or they’ll just let him go to free agency as one of the most important players in that franchise’s history.

Five teams that could define the NHL trade market in 2024 from SportsNet

In more Trade Deadline news, SportsNet gives us 5 teams they think could define the 2024 Trade Deadline. They list the Colombus Blue Jackets, the Vancouver Canucks (Canuckleheads!), the Calgary Flames, the Anaheim Ducks and the Ottawa Senators.

It’s usually fun to look at who your team might be able to go get but unfortunately, this season, the Minnesota Wild will likely not be active unless they can someone create some cap spaces by assisting on a couple of trades like they did last season. They simply have no cap room though so they probably can’t even do that!

You still have to wonder if Billy G has anything up his sleeve because he believes in his team and we’ve seen him go get help for them at the Trade Deadline every season since he’s been here.

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Minnesota Wild
The Record: 18-20-5 (W-L-OTL); 41 points, 7th in NHL’s Central Division 

2023-24 Minnesota Wild Schedule and Results
from
Hockey Reference

The Minnesota Wild snapped their 4-game losing streak and are now 2-7-1 in their last 10 games after 11-3-0 after the change to coach John Hynes. It just goes to show how much confidence plays into winning. That’s not the surprise for us. The surprise is how often teams of professional players lose confidence and doubt rises in their games even though they are in the NHL and getting paid to play a game. They’re getting paid to play a game & they’re getting paid a lot more than most people to do it!

They had the players-only meeting and played a great game last night in a 5-0 win against a New York Islanders team that is also trying to get back into the race for the postseason. 

Subscribe to The Athletic – It’s worth it! They have a deal for $1.99/month right now!

From the article above from Joe Smith, Senior Writer for the Wild & the NHL from The Athletic:

“Minnesota Wild fans let their reeling team have it Saturday night, booing the players off the ice after an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

Then the players let each other hear it, airing out their issues in a long postgame meeting. The doors to their dressing room were closed for 22 minutes following the final horn. Former Wild defenseman Matt Dumba had already showered, changed, met up with family and made it to the Coyotes bus by then.

This wasn’t the first players-only meeting, and judging by how the year has gone, it won’t be the last.

The Wild have hit rock bottom a few times, but this might be a new low, the team having lost eight out of its last nine. In what leaders called a pivotal stretch of the season, the Wild have tallied three points out of their last 18 possible, with their last regulation win Dec. 27.

This group has been battered with injuries in the past month. A bunch of guys have been sick recently.

But right now they look like a team that’s lost its identity, or at least lost its confidence, a stark contrast from the 11-3 run to start John Hynes’ tenure.

“Sometimes you go through a stretch like this where you feel like nothing works,” Zuccarello said. “That’s why you have to believe in each other, give each other confidence. That’s the only way to get out of it.

“We’ll see Monday who is showing up or not.”

The Wild have done plenty of talking this season, from the three players-only meetings to president and GM Bill Guerin giving the group a “kick-in-the-ass” ripfest on the eve of its Sweden Global Series trip in mid-November. They’ve already got one coach fired in Dean Evason, let go on Nov. 27 after a seven-game losing streak.

The Wild need to back up that talk with action before their season is a lost cause. We’re almost there now, with Minnesota eight points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, with the Oilers holding three games in hand and on a 10-game winning streak.”

It’s crazy to think they just decided they need to start winning and playing with confidence. As a group, they knew they had to start winning & do it immediately or this season could very easily be over. They did it last night with a 5-0 win to help G Marc-Andre Fleury earn his 552nd career win to take sole possession of 2nd place for All-Time Wins in the National Hockey League. It was also his 74th career shutout.

The big question now is… Can they keep playing that well? Do they do the same things they did last night in Tampa Bay on Wednesday night, just decide to play with confidence and play their game of aggressive hockey?

We’ll find out at 6 pm on Wednesday night on ESPN+/Hulu! 

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Minnesota Gophers

Cinematic Recap:
Gopher Men’s Hockey Sweeps Robert Morris

Are the Minnesota Gophers heating up at the right time? They’ve won 3 out of 4 since the holiday break. Or is it because those were non-conference games?

They have 12 games remaining, 6 at home & 6 on the road and all 12 of those games are conference games so will they be able to keep rolling on Friday & Saturday against the Ohio State Buckeyes? Both games are at 7 pm. Friday night’s game is on FOX9 and Saturday’s game will be on the BIG Ten Network.

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If you’ve missed or want to read older issues of The Daily Clutter:

Daily Clutter – Issue #1

The Daily Clutter for Monday, January 1st, 2024 - Issue #1

Daily Clutter – Issue #2

The Daily Clutter for January 2nd, 2024 - Issue #2

Daily Clutter – Issue #3

Daily Clutter – Issue #4

Daily Clutter – Issue #5

Daily Clutter – Issue #6

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Thanks for Reading!!! 

Bring the Clutter in the comments &/or on
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn…

AND…as always…

Posted in News/Transactions, Hockey In Minnesota, Minnesota Wild, NHL Hockey, Wild Prospects | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Daily Clutter for Saturday, January 6th, 2024 – Issue #6

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Robb
The Daily Clutter for Saturday, January 6th, 2024 - Issue #6

What is The Daily Clutter? 

It’s pretty simple. The Clutter is us but it’s also the news about Minnesota hockey & hockey in general and we want to Bring The Clutter to you, our fans AKA The ClutterPuckers, daily! We have to live up to our slogan Bring The Clutter Every Day in Every Way!

We might sprinkle in some other fun things, too. 

What do we have today? Who Won GOLD, a big NHL injury will likely affect who wins the Best Rookie trophy, can the Minnesota Wild survive through all of these injuries?, & the Minnesota women’s professional hockey team shattered the attendance record for women’s hockey!

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Who Won GOLD?

Team USA & Team Sweden battled for World Junior supremacy yesterday in Sweden. Let’s see who came out on top!

If, for some reason, you weren’t able to see the game & still don’t know who won, you can watch the entire game here!

Quick recap coming soon!!!

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Conner Bedard hit Hard!

Big injury as Calder Trophy* favorite F Connor Bedard was hit by New Jersey Devils D Brendan Smith and he immediately left the ice and didn’t return.
*That’s the trophy for Rookie of the Year if you didn’t know.

This is the best video we could find on it but we recommend muting the audio & there’s no need to watch any further than when Bedard walks down the tunnel.

Chicago Blackhawks & rookie phenom F Connor Bedard was carrying the puck into the offensive zone with some speed. He had to make a move to get around New Jersey Devils F Dawson Mercer but that move caused the puck to roll off of his stick so he had to take his eye off of the defense to find the puck &, specifically, Devils D Brendan Smith who had intentions to play the body. Dawson Mercer’s stick check went between Bedard’s legs and caused him to lose his balance too so Bedard losing the puck & his balance didn’t allow him time to prepare for the oncoming body check even if that was just to make a slight move to evade most of the contact. Because of that, Brendan Smith’s shoulder ended up hitting Bedard’s head causing him to go down to the ice and he immediately grabbed at his face.

One scary thing to look at is how close Bedard’s skate comes to Brendan Smith’s face. It’s probably more than a foot away but did Smith think, “RELIGIOUS POOP!!! That was close!!!”

More on the Bedard Hit & a discussion on what the NHL should do about these hits if they won’t be called

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These Injuries are Wild, maybe too Wild!

Wild’s Bill Guerin on rash of injuries to key players: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it’ – The Athletic

“If you include the $14.7 million of dead space they entered the season with, the Wild will be icing a team Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning minus $50.9 million worth of players. According to PuckPedia, the Wild have so many call-ups that they only have $1.28 million left of the $6 million cushion they received to exceed the cap ceiling by placing Brodin on LTIR.”

How many NHL teams could sustain losing their top 2 forwards (Kirill Kaprizov & Mats Zuccarello), top 2 defensemen (Jared Spurgeon & Jonas Brodin), and their starting goaltender (Filip Gustavsson) in a matter of days and all of those injuries ending up week-to-week if not longer? And we didn’t even mention Marcus Foligno. Well… now we have.

“See? No monster in here… well… now there is.!”

That would be…

Edmonton Oilers: 
McDavid & Draisaitl, Bouchard & Ekholm, & Skinner

Toronto Maple Leafs:
Matthews & Nylander, Rielly & McCabe

Vegas Golden Knights:
Eichel & Stone, Theodore & Pietrangelo, & Thompson

Pittsburgh Penguins:
Crosby & Malkin &/or Guentzel, Letang & Pettersson, & Jarry

Colorado Avalanche:
MacKinnon & Rantanen, Makar & Toews, & Georgiev

Winnipeg Jets
Scheifele & Ehlers (or a healthy Conner), Morrissey & Pionk, & Hellebuyck

Boston Bruins:
Pastrnak & Marchand, McAvoy & Lindholm & Ullmark

Vancouver Canucks:
Miller & Pettersson/Boeser, Hughes & Hronek, & Demko

Just to name a few!

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The State of Hockey Showed Up & Set an Attendance Record for Women’s Pro Hockey

Minnesota broke the record by 4,998 people!

The previous record of 8,318 was set 4 days ago in Ottawa! Sorry, Canada! If it helps Minnesota is the closest you can get to Canada, so there is that!

Most hockey fans, especially male hockey fans, scoffed at the women averaging 4,000 fans per game in Minnesota. That is still yet to be determined but one thing they’ve done that will help them is they avoided having their home games on nights when there are a lot of Minnesota girls high school hockey games. They also have no games on Fridays and all weekend games are afternoon games to avoid most state college hockey games so we’ll see if they can average 4,000 for the season. They covered 3+ with 13,000+ in game 1!

PWHL Minnesota’s 2024 Home Schedule

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Thanks for Reading!!! 

Bring the Clutter in the comments &/or on 
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn…

AND…as always…

Posted in News/Transactions, Hockey In Minnesota, Minnesota Wild, NHL Hockey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment