For the first time since 2015, the Minnesota Wild finds itself in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After knocking off the Dallas Stars in six games in the First Round, Minnesota is set to face-off against the Presidents’ Trophy winning Colorado Avalanche. This marks the fourth time these two teams will meet in the postseason (2003, 2008 and 2014). Minnesota has won two of the previous three meetings (2003 and 2014, both in seven games).
During the regular season, Minnesota went 2-1-1 against the Avalanche. The earned a 3-2 shootout win in the first meeting in St. Paul on November 28 and a 5-2 win in Colorado on February 26. Kirill Kaprizov, who is T-2nd among all Stanley Cup Playoff skaters with nine points (2-7=9), led the Wild with six points (3-3=6) against the Avalanche. Jesper Wallstedt, tonight’s expected starter, went 1-1-1 with a 2.55 GAA and a .932 SV% in three starts against Colorado.
The injury bug has struck the Wild again. It played Game 6 against Dallas without defenseman Jonas Brodin, who is battling a lower-body injury and is out for at least Games 1 and 2 against Colorado. Minnesota will now be without top center, Joel Eriksson Ek, who will miss at least the first two games of the series with a lower-body injury. Eriksson Ek leads all Stanley Cup Playoff skaters with 84 face-off wins and has also tallied five points (3-2=5) in six games.
Rest vs. rust has been and will be a topic of conversation for this Second Round series. Colorado, who swept the Los Angeles Kings in the First Round, has not played a game since last Sunday, April 26. Meanwhile, Minnesota comes into the series only having two days off between rounds and learned late Friday night that it would be on a plane to Colorado Saturday afternoon.
“It’s the situation we’re in,” said Wild Head Coach John Hynes this morning. “I think it’s both ways. For us, we’ve had a couple of days here to rest and recover but you’re in that game mode. You don’t really get out of it.”
Minnesota looks to win at least one game in Colorado before heading home for a three-day break between Games 2 and 3. Minnesota won two of its three road games against Dallas in the First Round, including Game 1. Hynes said this morning he is ‘hopeful’ Eriksson Ek could return for Game 3. For now, it will have to adapt the “next man up” mentality it has taken on all season long.
