Post a Free Blog

Submit A Press Release

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Action
Animation
ATP Tour (ATP)
Auto Racing
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Breaking News
Business
Business
Business Newsletter
Call of Duty (CALLOFDUTY)
Canadian Football League (CFL)
Car
Celebrity
Champions Tour (CHAMP)
Comedy
CONCACAF
Counter Strike Global Offensive (CSGO)
Crime
Dark Comedy
Defense of the Ancients (DOTA)
Documentary and Foreign
Drama
eSports
European Tour (EPGA)
Fashion
FIFA
FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC)
FIFA World Cup (FIFA)
Fighting
Football
Formula 1 (F1)
Fortnite
Golf
Health
Hockey
Horror
IndyCar Series (INDY)
International Friendly (FRIENDLY)
Kids & Family
League of Legends (LOL)
LPGA
Madden
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
MLS
Movie and Music
Movie Trailers
Music
Mystery
NASCAR Cup Series (NAS)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National Football League (NFL)
National Hockey League (NHL)
National Women's Soccer (NWSL)
NBA Development League (NBAGL)
NBA2K
NCAA Baseball (NCAABBL)
NCAA Basketball (NCAAB)
NCAA Football (NCAAF)
NCAA Hockey (NCAAH)
Olympic Mens (OLYHKYM)
Other
Other Sports
Overwatch
PGA
Politics
Premier League (PREM)
Romance
Sci-Fi
Science
Soccer
Sports
Sports
Technology
Tennis
Thriller
Truck Series (TRUCK)
True Crime
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Uncategorized
US
Valorant
Western
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Women’s NCAA Basketball (WNCAAB)
World
World Cup Qualifier (WORLDCUP)
WTA Tour (WTA)
Xfinity (XFT)
XFL
0
-- Advertisement --spot_img
HomeSportsHockeyNHL News: Wild ready to enjoy home-ice advantage against Canadiens

NHL News: Wild ready to enjoy home-ice advantage against Canadiens

Add to Favorite
Added to Favorite


For the Minnesota Wild, the road has looked a lot more familiar than their home ice to start the season.

That will start to change Thursday night as the Wild return home to host the Montreal Canadiens in St. Paul, Minn. It will be the first home game in nine days for Minnesota, which has played 10 of its first 15 games on the road.

In those 15 games, the Wild have recorded at least one point in all but two contests (10-2-3). They are riding a three-game point streak (2-0-1) as they face Montreal.

“We want to play good at home,” Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek said. “We want to make something out of this (hot start) and keep this going that way. So, for sure it’s going to be important to try to keep the momentum going at home, too.”

The Canadiens have had a much bumpier start to the season. They are 1-5-1 in their last seven contests, but they snapped a six-game winless skid with a 7-5 victory against the Buffalo Sabres in their most recent matchup Monday night.

Captain Nick Suzuki scored two goals and dished two assists in the victory. Cole Caufield also scored two goals, and former top overall draft pick Juraj Slafkovsky finished with three assists.

The performance gave Suzuki 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 16 games.

“(Suzuki) needed a game like (Monday night),” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “I’m happy he got that game. As a player, you need those games.

“I think, like everybody, he feels the heat a little bit and to get that game and breathe a little bit, … this team needed this outcome (Monday), and I think ‘Suzy’ needed that, too.”

Minnesota is led in scoring by Kirill Kaprizov, who has 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 15 games. He has scored seven times on even strength and two times on the power play.

Matt Boldy ranks second with 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 15 games. Mats Zuccarello is third on the scoring list with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 15 contests.

A big key to the Wild’s early-season success started in the defensive zone, veteran Marcus Foligno said. The more that Minnesota moved the puck out of its zone and went on the attack, the more it alleviated pressure on its goaltender.

“When we break the puck out fast and then we’re making tape-to-tape passes and smart plays, it’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got our game,'” Foligno said. “The confidence goes right through the roof. What I want to see at home is when things do go south and we are on our heels a little bit, that we can correct it quickly.”

Filip Gustavsson is expected to make his 12th start in net for the Wild. He is 7-2-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage this season.

In four career games against the Canadiens, Gustavsson is 1-2-1 with a 3.64 GAA and an .884 save percentage.

Sam Montembeault is set to start in goal for Montreal. The 28-year-old is 4-7-1 with a 3.42 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 12 games this season.

Montembeault has faced the Wild three times in his career. He is 1-1-1 in those matchups with a 3.60 GAA and an .872 save percentage.

–Field Level Media

Subscribe to get Latest News Updates

Latest News

You may like more
more

No. 24 Rutgers meets Monmouth, seeks improvement on defense

Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said he doesn't know if...

No. 15 Marquette heads to Maryland, looks to find 3-point range

Torturing teams from beyond the arc is something Marquette...

No. 10 North Carolina vies to rebound from tough loss in clash vs. American

No. 10 North Carolina and American probably don't have...