GDT: 2/8/17 - Wild vs. Blackhawks - 7PM CT / 3AM Suomi - NBCSN

[Minnesota]

Zach Parise - Eric Staal - Alex Tuch
Mikael Granlund - Mikko Koivu - Jason Zucker
Nino Niederreiter - Charlie Coyle - Jason Pominville
Chris Stewart - Erik Haula - Tyler Graovac

Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon
Marco Scandella - Matt Dumba
Gustav Olofsson - Christian Folin

Darcy Kuemper
Devan Dubnyk


Nick Schmaltz - Jonathan Toews - Richard Panik
Artemi Panarin - Artem Anisimov - Patrick Kane
Dennis Rasmussen - Marcus Kruger - Marian Hossa
Ryan Hartman - Tanner Kero - Jordin Tootoo

Duncan Keith - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Gustav Forsling - Brent Seabrook
Brian Campbell - Trevor van Riemsdyk

Corey Crawford
Scott Darling

Just win. ​

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[MuckOG]

"Biggest game of the year"- Pat Kane.

Chicago Tribune article....

 

[gphr513]

Coming home after a long road trip, hopefully their energy level will match the crowd, which I expect to be raucous.

Score early, score often.

 

[HollaHaula]

I think Kuemper is going to have to play out of his mind in order for us to win. It sounded like the Wild were very tired during last night's game and now they are playing a well rested Chicago team. My optimism is low.

 

[Grover]

This is the only game on in the entire league tonight. Let's show the world what we can do

 

[Arturia Pendragon]

I can't help but laugh at Kane .
2nd time this season we're having to play the Hawks on the second night of a back to back.

Yep, biggest game of your season Kane haha.
Good on ya mate!
It's the only way the Hawks have a chance anyways .

 

[Minnesota]

This is the only game on in the entire league tonight. Let's show the world what we can do

Nationally-televised game? We typically choke.

 

[Soldier13Fox]

I'm really not super stoked that Kuemper is starting, I have a bad feeling we get embarrassed in front of the "WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY" crowd.

 

[MuckOG]

Kuemper will be on center stage with an opportunity to showcase his talents to GMs around the league tonight.

 

[gphr513]

Nationally-televised game? We typically choke.

4-0 on national TV this year. Outscoring our opponents 17-5.

Games include the 7-1 drubbing of Montreal, 5-1 over STL, coming back in to beat Chicago away on the second night of a back-to-back.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Tuch with the GWG tonight.

 

[DANOZ28]

hawks are well rested & we're not. edge hawks. we could win with an effort of extra ordinary magnitude & we have your gratitude. (bet you dont know that movie ref without google) should be another nail biter. coyle is sooooo due!

 

[Dee Oh Cee]

Next three games are all on national TV. Sunday's afternoon game vs. Detroit on NBC.

 

[Wabit]

1 of 82 games for the Wild.

It really is the biggest game of the year for the Hawks, so far. They are comfortably in a Playoff spot, but 6p back and 2 more games played. They are coming off a 3 day weekend vs the team ahead of them in the standings on the 2nd game of a back-to-back. Losing a bunch of games in a row to the Wild has to be eating at them a little bit too.

Not expecting much from the Wild. Jets played them hard last night, and Kemps is in net.

I am looking forward to seeing Olofsson play tonight.

 

[mikee]

1 of 82 games for the Wild.

It really is the biggest game of the year for the Hawks, so far. They are comfortably in a Playoff spot, but 6p back and 2 more games played. They are coming off a 3 day weekend vs the team ahead of them in the standings on the 2nd game of a back-to-back. Losing a bunch of games in a row to the Wild has to be eating at them a little bit too.

Not expecting much from the Wild. Jets played them hard last night, and Kemps is in net.

I am looking forward to seeing Olofsson play tonight.

Hawks fan, coming in peace.

I honestly don't think the Hawks even care about the regular season at this point in their run of contention. They've gone through January swoons quite regularly. The core is all late 20s to late 30s with the exception of Panarin. They absolutely pace themselves throughout the RS, and they should. President Trophies, Division Titles, and home ice just don't matter much. They just want to be ready and healthy for the playoffs.

There is no doubt that the Hawks cannot dominate teams anymore at this point, especially over the course of an 82 game season + playoffs. It isn't even a factor of the higher salaries leading to less depth on the team. The veterans are simply declining. Guys like Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, etc just can't expend max energy all season anymore, especially in a condensed schedule like this year.

As for this being the biggest game of the year for them... maybe. It is a road game against the best team in the West. The crowd should be raucous. it will be the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere that can be replicated in the regular season. And After playing one of the most compressed schedules in the league in the 1st half, the Hawks have had their first extended break of the season coming into this game, so they should be rested and it would be cool to see them play with high energy for all 3 periods. They really haven't done that yet this season. This team has shown the ability to flip the switch so to speak in the past when they want to and maybe this is Kane's way of saying that the team should treat this matchup as one of those times to try it, just to gauge where they are and what they can expect to see in the playoffs.

 

[Wabit]

Hawks fan, coming in peace.

I honestly don't think the Hawks even care about the regular season at this point in their run of contention. They've gone through January swoons quite regularly. The core is all late 20s to late 30s with the exception of Panarin. They absolutely pace themselves throughout the RS, and they should. President Trophies, Division Titles, and home ice just don't matter much. They just want to be ready and healthy for the playoffs.

There is no doubt that the Hawks cannot dominate teams anymore at this point, especially over the course of an 82 game season + playoffs. It isn't even a factor of the higher salaries leading to less depth on the team. The veterans are simply declining. Guys like Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, etc just can't expend max energy all season anymore, especially in a condensed schedule like this year.

As for this being the biggest game of the year for them... maybe. It is a road game against the best team in the West. The crowd should be raucous. it will be the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere that can be replicated in the regular season. And After playing one of the most compressed schedules in the league in the 1st half, the Hawks have had their first extended break of the season coming into this game, so they should be rested and it would be cool to see them play with high energy for all 3 periods. They really haven't done that yet this season. This team has shown the ability to flip the switch so to speak in the past when they want to and maybe this is Kane's way of saying that the team should treat this matchup as one of those times to try it, just to gauge where they are and what they can expect to see in the playoffs.

I have no doubt in the core Hawks players ability to flip a switch. It's the players that haven't had the long Playoff run that are the question marks.

 

[Engebretson]

Tuch with the GWG tonight.

If he does his skate-stepping celly after the goal, I buy both home and away versions of his jersey.

 

[mikee]

I have no doubt in the core Hawks players ability to flip a switch. It's the players that haven't had the long Playoff run that are the question marks.

Thankfully the top 5 D have all won Cups as have the two goalies. But yeah, the forward core is pretty untested that way.

I'm super excited about potentially facing you guys in the playoffs this year. The Hawks have owned the Wild in the playoffs in years past, but the Wild have turned the tables on them in the regular season recently. This is also the deepest and most skilled team the Wild have ever iced in their existence. Top to bottom I don't think there is any doubt the Wild are the more talented team. But weird stuff happens come playoff time.

 

[57special]

Exactly. At this point CHI are the San Antonio Spurs. This talk of tonight's game being the most important game of the season is silly. If either team loses it doesn't really matter.

Hopefully we get a showdown in the playoffs. Those games will matter. Dubnyk will have to prove it. Crawford already has. Koivu will have to cancel out Toews. Granlund will have to rival Kane...tough work, but he has help. Suter outplay Keith. Brodin cancel out Hjalmarsson. Spurgeon outplay Seabrook, and Zucker/Nino outplay Panarin, Coyle outmuscle Anisimov and Staal and Hossa duke it out.

Having said all that it will probably be a relative nobody like Stewart or Haula who decides it all.

And let's all have a brief moment of reflection on Bickell, Wild killer extraordinaire, and Harding, ex Wild goalie, who's severe health problems cut short their careers all too soon.

 

[Minnesota]

4-0 on national TV this year. Outscoring our opponents 17-5.

Games include the 7-1 drubbing of Montreal, 5-1 over STL, coming back in to beat Chicago away on the second night of a back-to-back.

Yeo's Wild typically choke.

Was our game against Columbus nationally-televised? Or am I mis-remembering?

 

[Dee Oh Cee]

It was not...but was NHL's free game for NHL.tv. to stream.

 

[Wabit]

Thankfully the top 5 D have all won Cups as have the two goalies. But yeah, the forward core is pretty untested that way.

I'm super excited about potentially facing you guys in the playoffs this year. The Hawks have owned the Wild in the playoffs in years past, but the Wild have turned the tables on them in the regular season recently. This is also the deepest and most skilled team the Wild have ever iced in their existence. Top to bottom I don't think there is any doubt the Wild are the more talented team. But weird stuff happens come playoff time.

Yep, that weird stuff is usually attributed to Patty Kane...

I only count Keith, Hammer, Seabrook. TVR only played a couple of games in the last Cup run. Soupy is getting old (it's showing), and is pretty far removed from his last Cup run.

The goalie tandem of Crawford/Darling is a big advantage come Playoff time.

 

[gphr513]

Yeo's Wild typically choke.

Was our game against Columbus nationally-televised? Or am I mis-remembering?

Good thing we're not the Yeo Wild anymore

 

[mikee]

Yep, that weird stuff is usually attributed to Patty Kane...

I only count Keith, Hammer, Seabrook. TVR only played a couple of games in the last Cup run. Soupy is getting old (it's showing), and is pretty far removed from his last Cup run.

The goalie tandem of Crawford/Darling is a big advantage come Playoff time.

Staal/Koivu and Anisimov/Toews is close to a wash. Suter/Brodin/Spurgeon and Keith/Hjalmarsson/Seabrook is too. Panarin/Hossa and Backlund/Coyle same.

The Wild have an advantage in forward depth. The Hawks have the advantage of goalie depth. Either one could tip a series. I'd give the Wild a slight advantage in a matchup against the Hawks because forward depth is more important than goalie depth.

But the one trump card the Hawks have is Patrick Kane. If he is feeling it, he can take over games, even a series, and pull out victories that the team has no business taking.

 

[mikee]

And let's all have a brief moment of reflection on Bickell, Wild killer extraordinaire, and Harding, ex Wild goalie, who's severe health problems cut short their careers all too soon.

Boy, Bickell did kill you guys
The contract we gave him was almost worth it, just for that.
Did see that he is planning to suit up and play for the Canes soon. Glad to see it.

Harding was a tough break for you guys, he could have been a solution to your goaltender woes in year's past. Guy had some talent.