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Best of Three, Buckle Up! |
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It is now a best of three with the Wild holding home ice advantage.
This is exactly where most of us thought the series would be after four games.
Yesterday the Blues dressed seven defensemen in an effort to offset the growing list of injuries to their blueline. That came into play as Marco Scandella left the game early in the first period. Hibbing, MN native and former UMD Bulldog. Scott Perunovich was dressed and forced into a bigger role than anticipated, as Steven Santini was apparently not trusted at all. Santini, who played all season in the AHL, saw just over three minutes of ice time despite the depleted St. Louis blueline.
The Blues showed their moxy and experience as they came out with guns ablazing in period one. They fired 18 shots on Marc-Andre Fleury who stood tall in the Wild crease only yielding one goal to Jordan Kyrou, who capitalized on his own rebound.
The Wild killed a huge 4-minute Blues powerplay and shortly after were able to tie the game on Kirill Kaprizov's fifth goal of the series.
David Perron got the Blues back in front and Kyrou took advantage of Matt Dumba's blunders to put the Blues up two. Dumba inexplicably left the puck behind the net, which was bad, but he compounded his mistake by not taking the body on Kyrou.
Dumba is often the target of Wild fans and yesterday the naysayers were out in full force. It was a bad sequence and give the Blues, Ryan O'Reilly and Jordan Kyrou full marks for executing.
Dumba made up for that unfortunate mishap, by saving a sure Blues goal in the third period when he kicked the puck out of the Wild crease just before it got to the goal line.
The Wild had plenty of chances to tie the game and even win it. They just were unable to finish. In the end it was not the best Wild performance, give the Blues full marks with their game four adjustments and game plan execution.
Off ice there was a rumor circulated primarily by the media relating the Devils willingness to move their first round pick. They connected the Wild's, Kevin Fiala, and his impending RFA status and the impending cap crunch.
This is not a story and will have no affect on how Fiala or the Wild perform in the playoffs. Click bait alert!
If there is anything we have learned about Wild GM. Bill Guerin, it is that he had a plan and it is calculated. He very well may move Fiala, but I am not so certain that is his plan. The Wild prospect pool is very deep and we know that not all of those guys can make it with the Wild. Guerin is going to have to move some of those assets, with Calen Addison right at the top of the list.
It is the playoffs and the focus from the entire organization is on task at hand and that is currently winning this series against St. Louis, period!
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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