Pluses, minuses for Wild, Blackhawks

Each Wednesday throughout the regular season, Kevin Weekes will be offering his pluses and minuses for the teams competing in the NBCSN Wednesday Night Rivalry game in his Weekes on the Web blog. Weekes also will assist fans with three must-watch elements of the game.
The Minnesota Wild have been trying to emulate the Chicago Blackhawks. Their longtime Central Division rival has had great success this decade. In fact, Chicago defeated Minnesota three straight years in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including when they won the Cup in 2013 and 2015.

Last season, the Blackhawks overtook the Wild on the final days of the season to win the Central. This season, both teams have struggled; they're tied for fifth place in the division in terms of points (48) with Chicago having a game in hand. The Blackhawks also hold the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, three points behind the Dallas Stars.
There will be a playoff feel when the Wild (22-17-4) visit the Blackhawks (21-15-6) at United Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV). Here's my breakdown of the game:

Wild

Pluses: Center Eric Staal has been rejuvenated since agreeing to a three-year contract with Minnesota on July 1, 2016. He has 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 42 games after getting 65 (28 goals, 37 assists) in 82 games last season. And Mikael Granlund has started to heat up after a slow start. His 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) are second behind Staal.

The Wild are also aided by the fact that they are a bigger, physical team with forwards Charlie Coyle (6-foot-3, 221 pounds) and Nino Niederreiter (6-2, 216) back from injuries. That's important, especially against the Blackhawks. It means they don't just need to be a perimeter team anymore.
Lastly, they've got defensemen like Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon that can skate the puck out of trouble and then make plays in the offensive zone. Having mobile defensemen who can contribute on both sides of the puck is a huge plus for any team.
Minuses:The Wild at times look like a Stanley Cup contender but too often have looked like a non-playoff team. They started last season so well, even winning 12 straight games at one point before a poor end to the regular season cost them the division title, the top seed in the Western Conference and perhaps the Presidents' Trophy. They ultimately lost to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round. This season, they seem to follow up two wins with two losses and can't get any momentum going.
Goalie Devan Dubnyk has been injured but when healthy, hasn't played nearly as well as he has in the past. He's 15-9-2 with a 2.72 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts, but he's had a GAA of 2.33 or lower and a save percentage of .918 or better the prior three seasons. We know how good he is, but until he gets to that level again, the Wild could be in trouble.
Lastly, the Wild don't play great on the road; they're 8-13-1 and have lost their past four games away from home while being outscored 17-4.

Blackhawks

Pluses:One thing that's impressed me about them is that they're faster than they were earlier in the season. The team speed was evident in their past four games. They're 3-1-0 while scoring at least four goals in each, including eight against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Patrick Kane had five points for the first time in his NHL career Tuesday and has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his past eight games. Jonathan Toews has also picked it up offensively with five goals in five games during a five-game point streak (5-4-9). It's no surprise Chicago fares better in the games these two get on the scoreboard.
I know they are expecting a lot of their younger players, who in spurts have started to play better. Nick Schmaltz (two goals Tuesday) has five goals in four games, rookie Alex DeBrincat has 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) and Vinnie Hinostroza is on a six-game point streak (2-6-8).

Goalie Corey Crawford has been Chicago's best and most important player this season but hasn't played since Dec. 23 because of an upper-body injury. In his absence, the Blackhawks still have strung together some wins with Anton Forsberg and 32-year-old rookie Jeff Glass. Forsberg made 32 saves in a 4-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday and followed that up with 25 saves against the Senators. It's unclear how long Crawford will be out, so it's important Chicago continues to get good goaltending in his absence.
Minuses:The Blackhawks are still not getting production from all four of their lines. They don't have the same offensive depth they've had in the past and the bottom six need to produce. We mentioned Kane, Toews and some of the rookies, but the Blackhawks can't rely on three or four players to score every night. It's just not reasonable.
The Blackhawks have been frustrating to watch this season. At times, it looks like they are retooling but then there's other times when they look like they are a Cup contender. Prior to the recent offensive outburst in five games, Chicago lost three straight and was outscored 13-3. Which team will show up Wednesday?
Defenseman Brent Seabrook was a healthy scratch Tuesday, the sixth game he missed in the past six seasons. He's not confident right now, offensively or defensively, and coach Joel Quenneville made the tough decision to sit him. With Chicago playing well right now, Seabrook may sit out another game, something nobody expected before the season because of how durable and how much he means to this team.
The Blackhawks are victims of their own success. Because they won the Stanley Cup three times in six seasons, they've had impact players, even in their bottom six, who they had to trade because they couldn't pay them. Defenseman Nick Leddy, traded to the New York Islanders on Oct. 4, 2014, is one player Chicago probably could use right now.

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Will the Wild be able to keep up with the Blackhawks? These are games for their growth that they must win.
   2. How will Wild forward Zach Parise fare? This will be his fifth game since returning from a back injury.
   3. Will Dubnyk rise to the occasion in what has been an up-and-down season for him?