Minnesota Wild

Wild Matinee in Music City
April 1, 2017, 11:38 AM ET [8 Comments]
Dan Wallace
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Wild Game Day number 78
Wild Record (45-24-8 98 pts)
Road Record (20-12-6)

Opponent: Nashville Predators (39-27-11 89 pts)
Home Record (23-9-7)

Site: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

Time: 1:00PM CT

TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)

Last season result:
11/4 Predators 3 @ Wild 2
11/21 Predators 0 @ Wild 4
12/19 Wild 2 @ Predators 3
1/16 Wild 0 @ Predators 3

Last result;
12/15 Wild 5 @ Predators 2
12/27 Wild 3 @ Predators 2
1/22 Predators 4 @ Wild 2
2/18 Predators 2 @ Wild 5

The Wild hit the road once again for their final regular season meeting with the Predators in a matinee contest in Music City. Coming off their best performance in about a month the Wild look to keep the momentum going as they work to get back to the form they displayed through much of the season. Nashville is battlin hard with St. Louis for third in the Central and a potential 1st round matchup with the Wild.

Much talk around Nashville is that they want to finish third to avoid a first round matchup with Chicago. The Wild have taken three of the four meetings this season with Nashville including both games played in Bridgestone Arena, back in December. If the Predators want the Wild in the first round they must win today, but be careful what you wish for.

Either way the Wild need to keep working as they head toward the playoffs. Nashville has not clinched a playoff berth as of yet officially, but it is all but a foregone conclusion they will, barring an absolute monumental collapse.

Nashville has lost it's last two, 4-1 in Boston on Tuesday, and 3-1 at home to the Maple Leafs, following a 10 game stretch that had seen them go 7-1-2. Peter Laviolette's team is playing it's best hockey of the season over the last month, while the Wild have slumped badly.

Expect Devan Dubnyk to be back in the Wild net after a much needed rest on Thursday night. Dubnyk will be getting more rest over the next week as well as the Wild return home tomorrow host the Avalanche and then Carolina on Tuesday, before hitting the road for their final two games in Arizona and Colorado.

Zach Parise is feeling much better and hopes to play today, but that will be up to Bruce Boudreau and the training staff as to whether or not he goes today or tomorrow. Either way Joel Eriksson Ek will stay in the lineup after his strong performance in his return to the Wild lineup on Thursday night.

Boudreau has a pretty stacked bench now and that creates great competition for ice time. Healthy competition breeds excellence and the Wild need every bit of that heading into the games that really matter.

Today should be a good measuring stick for where the Wild are as a club. The team appears to be back on track,, so let's see how they respond on the road in a tough building against a good division opponent.

Big two points for the Wild today, not so much for standings, more for confidence as the re-establish themselves as a force in the Western Conference.

It's always Hockey Day in the State of Hockey!

Let's Play Hockey!