ST. PAUL, MN -- One could certainly argue that tomorrow's match-up between the seemingly rejuvenated Minnesota Wild and the inconsistent Chicago Blackhawks is the biggest, most important game of the season.
For the Blackhawks, that is certainly the case. With a season record of 32-17-5 in 54 games, the Hawks have 69 points, just four points out of reach of first in the Central Division. The next closest in the Central are the Nashville Predators, who trail with only 58 points.
The Wild are sitting pretty at 34-12-5 in just 51 games, giving them a clear advantage, and will likely stay on top in the Central by season's end.
Things look meek for tomorrow's game if you look at just the records. But, there are a few things working in the Hawk's favor tomorrow. The first of which is the fact that the Wild will be coming into the game on the second half of a back-to-back. Depending on how that game goes tonight against the Winnipeg Jets (who are favored to win the game), this could be very good for the Hawks, who have had nearly four days of rest.
The Hawks do, again, have the upper hand when looking at points leaders on the team. It's hard to argue with the Panarin/Anisimov/Kane line, especially with their relatively consistent point-generation. Jonathan Toews even mentioned at practice this morning how consistent the line has been, noting that "... you look at Arty, the Bread Man and Kaner, as good as they’ve been you don’t really remember them for the game they might have been off or they didn’t score." This comment comes just before a few resenting the fact that he's had a cycle of linemates all season (which might be a factor of the recent scoring slump that he's slowly crawling out of).
Mikael Granlund has been on a hot streak for the Wild, finding the score sheet in each of his last thirteen games--which includes a four-point, hat trick game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. That's definitely something the Hawks defense should focus on putting an end to tomorrow evening. Still, with his point streak, he stands four points behind Patrick Kane, and tied with Artemi Panarin.
But, that means they'll have to rely on scoring early and preferably more than once in the first period.
It'll be interesting to see what the Hawks pull out of their bag of tricks tomorrow evening. There's debate about who will be in the net for both teams--the Hawks have a combined .921 SV%, while the Wild goalies have a combined .916 SV%. I think the Hawks do actually have an advantage with their goalies, since it's hard to complain about either one. It really boils down to how well the defense decides to play tomorrow night.
No matter who comes out with two points, the game tomorrow night is certainly going to be one for the ages.
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