Wild players firmly in Vikings' corner Sunday

ST. PAUL -- The Wild practiced at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday morning, and like many in the State of Hockey, players were eager to rush home and settle on the sofa for an afternoon of football.
It's championship Sunday in the NFL, with the AFC and NFC Championship games slated for later in the day. And with the Minnesota Vikings in action in the late game, Wild players were excited to have the night to themselves.

"I think my wife said she's making some nachos or something for the game," said Wild defenseman Nate Prosser. "She makes some good queso dip, so I'm looking forward to that. We'll probably have a few friends over."
With six Minnesotans currently on the roster, there are plenty of anxious Vikings fans who were happy to have practice Sunday morning in order to break up the day a little bit.
"I wouldn't say nerves, but excitement," said Wild forward Zach Parise, who's taken to wearing a Vikings NFC North Champions hat during on-camera interviews. "I'm really excited for them as a team and just for Minnesota. How awesome would that be if they were able to get to the Super Bowl? And not only get there, but host it? That would be fantastic for them and for everybody around here. Hopefully, today goes well."

Even the non-Minnesotans are looking forward to Sunday's pigskin contests. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk is one of the biggest and most knowledgable football fans in the Wild dressing room.
But with a six-day old and two other young boys at home, any big plans for watching the game have been tempered.
"I'll be trying to find something that entertains them that will keep them out of my business for stretches of time," Dubnyk said. "Nap time will get me through part of the Patriots-Jaguars game, but the Vikings game will be tough. Dinner and bath is going to help, though."
For Dubnyk, championship Sunday is typically appointment viewing for him, as long as the Wild isn't playing that night. He said he looks forward to any Sunday during the fall or winter months.
"The whole year, I try and look at Sundays and I look forward to when we don't play on Sundays," Dubnyk said. "It's always exciting on championship Sunday and it's even more exciting because the Vikes are playing today."
Las Vegas native Jason Zucker didn't have a local team growing up and isn't as hardcore a fan as Dubnyk and others, but said he's looking forward to the game because of the friendship he's developed with Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph.

"It's a little bit different meaning when it's the Vikings and with where they're at in the championship game," Zucker said. "It should be a lot of fun tonight."
The Vikings were a popular choice of players around the dressing room. A quick sampling:
Zucker: "24-14, Vikings."
Prosser: "20-13, Vikes, low scoring."
Dubnyk: "I was going to say a touchdown, so 21-14 [Minnesota]."
Goaltender Alex Stalock: "20-14, Vikes. On the road, tough atmosphere, but I like the Keenum-Foles matchup and we'll see what happens."
Coach Bruce Boudreau: "17-14 for the Vikes."
Parise wasn't willing to make a prediction, at least publicly.
"I don't want to pre-celly," Parise said. "I'm not gonna predict anything."

Granlund misses practice

Wild forward Mikael Granlund was the only player who played in Saturday's
5-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning
who did not take part in practice on Sunday.
"He's just a little under the weather," Boudreau said. "He should be OK tomorrow, I'm hoping."
Other than Granlund, Boudreau kept things pretty much the same offensively as they were against the Lightning. It's a good bet Minnesota will, at a minimum, start that way Monday when it hosts the Ottawa Senators.
"I thought it'd be pretty hard to change the lineup after yesterday's game," Boudreau said.
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