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Wild Game Day number 14
Wild Record (8-3-2 18 pts)
Road Record (3-3-0)
Opponent: San Jose Sharks (7-4-3 17 pts)
Home Record (3-2-1)
Site: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA
Time: 9:30PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last season results:
12/10 Wild 4 @ Sharks 3 (OT)
2/25 Sharks 2 @ Wild 3 (OT)
4/7 Wild 6 @ Sharks 3
The Wild look to make it three in a row after dusting off the Blues Saturday night 5-1 in St. Louis. It was by far the Wild's most complete effort, but I must say St. Louis put up almost zero resistance. Rather shocking for a team so many experts pegged as the most improved and a legitimate contender prior to the season.
Tonight will be another matchup with a Western Conference foe that made a significant addition in the offseason, adding perennial Norris Trophy candidate, Erik Karlsson to the already potent Sharks lineup. With Karlsson and Brent Burns the Sharks possess two of the highest scoring defensemen in the NHL. Clearly a sign that Doug Wilson is going all in.
Minnesota took all three from San Jose a year ago, and look to make it seven in a row vs the Sharks tonight.
During the recent Wild upswing the defense has been very active and even the third pair of Greg Paterno and Nick Seeler got into the offense on Saturday night. Seeler notched his first National Hockey League goal shortly after setting up Eric Staal's 400th NHL goal. The two finished the night a combined +9 with six shots on goal in just over 13 minutes of ice time each.
Pateryn and Seeler play a no nonsense simple game. It is great to see Seeler take his game up another notch, nearly every single game. Saturday was a shining example of just how far his game has come. His first assist showed tremendous patience to hold the puck at the blueline before spotting Staal off to the left of Jake Allen, where he fired a shot/pass that Staal redirected for his 5th of the year. Later in the same shift Seeler wired one himself through a screen that found the back of the net for his first.
The Wild may very well be basically the same team as a year ago, but not the third defense pair. That was a huge issue a year ago, and now it is a big strength with the addition of Pateryn signed as a free agent and the continued maturation of Seeler.
San Jose is playing their fourth straight home game having won one lost one, while losing the skills competition in the third. It should be a good test for the Wild as their seven games away from home schedule continues, with Minnesota winning two of the first three.
The third D pair are not the only depth guys chipping in as the fourth line has been active as well. Over the last 6 games Foligno (1,3), Fehr (2,4), and Brown (1,1) have tallied 4 goals and 12 points. We know that in order for the Wild to be successful they must get production throughout the lineup. The fourth line is stepping up and doing their part.
Wild projected lines:
Zucker-Staal-Niederreiter
Parise-Koivu-Granlund
Eriksson Ek-Coyle-Greenway
Foligno-Fehr-Brown
Suter-Dumba
Brodin-Spurgeon
Seeler-Pateryn
Dubnyk
Stalock
It's always Hockey Day in the State of Hockey!
Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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