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| MINNESOTA WILD | ||
2-2-0 (4 pts; .500%)
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8:00 P.M. – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 XCEL ENERGY CENTER ST. PAUL, MN |
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TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Market) |
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| ODDS & PROJECTIONS: | ||
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| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 28% | ||
| TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +180 | ||
The Columbus Blue Jackets began the season with four straight at home, and their win Friday night over the Calgary Flames gave them a 2-2-0 split of those games.
But will it give them an extra boost of confidence going into their first road contest of the young season?
We find out Saturday night when the Blue Jackets travel to Minnesota for an 8:00 p.m. battle with the Wild.
Here's what to know when the puck drops from the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul:
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | MIN |
|---|---|---|
| 2.50 | GOALS FOR | 3.50 |
| 3.00 | GOALS AGAINST | 4.00 |
| -0.50 | GOAL DIFFERENTIAL | -0.50 |
| 9.1% | POWER PLAY | 23.5% |
| 76.9% | PENALTY KILL | 81.8% |
| 26.5 | SHOTS FOR | 30.0 |
| 36.0 | SHOTS AGAINST | 32.3 |
| 41.6% | 5V5 CF | 50.5% |
| 46.4% | FACE-OFF | 49.3% |
| WILD: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| THU, 10/19 | vs. Kings | L, 7-3 |
| TUE, 10/17 | @ Canadiens | W, 5-2 |
| SAT, 10/14 | @ Maple Leafs | L, 7-4 |
| WILD: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | Joel Eriksson Ek | 4 |
| ASSISTS | Mats Zuccarello | 6 |
| POINTS |
Matz Zuccarello Kirill Kaprizov |
6 |
TALKING POINTS: MIN
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It's been a rollercoaster of a start for the Wild. They won opening night in the form of a 2-0 shutout, despite being outshot by nearly a 2-to-1 margin by the Florida Panthers. Two nights later, they allowed seven goals in a three-goal loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. That was followed up by a decisive road victory over the Montreal Canadiens, 5-2. They began a three-game homestand Thursday by giving up seven goals again in a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. High, low, high, low.
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The one constant has been 36-year-old Mats Zuccarello. He's got at least one assist in each of the first four games for the Wild, but assist streaks aren't really anything new for Zucs: he had an assist in four straight games on three separate occasions last season.
- Make no mistake about it, though. This is still a team whose top threat to score is Kirill Kaprizov. He's tied with Zuccarello for the team lead in points (6) and is well on his way to another All-Star season.
TALKING POINTS: CBJ
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That first goal is going to come sooner — not later — for Adam Fantilli. He was robbed a couple of times Friday night, including a highlight reel save from Flames netminder Jacob Markstrom. The points aren't there for the rookie yet, but Fantilli is proving with each game that he belongs in the NHL as a freshly-turned 19-year-old.
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The fourth line of Jack Roslovic, Sean Kuraly, and Justin Danforth made all the difference in the 3-1 victory Friday, with the latter two scoring the five-on-five goals for Columbus before Zach Werenski's empty-netter sealed the deal. No doubt head coach Pascal Vincent puts them together again Saturday, and that's a line worth watching. (Could that be the best fourth line in team history?)
- Third bullet point = a shoutout for the third defensive pairing. Erik Gudbranson and Jake Bean take their fair share of criticism, but how are the two doing through four games in 2023-24? Just over 46 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time with no goals allowed. For however long this lasts, look for Vincent to continue to go with what's working.
Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Adam Fantilli | 29 | Patrik Laine | 42 | Alexandre Texier |
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 38 | Boone Jenner | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 91 | Kent Johnson | 4 | Cole Sillinger | 52 | Enil Bemstrom |
| 96 | Jack Roslovic | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 17 | Justin Danforth |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 55 | David Jiricek |
| 22 | Jake Bean | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 70 | Spencer Martin |
