The Minnesota Wild may have been in fifth place in the Central Division and 10th place in the Western Conference standings at the Holiday Break but do not be fooled. The Wild have played the fewest amount of games in the Western Conference and those remaining games will prove to be potentially valuable as the race heats up after the break.
A Wild Drop in Goaltending
Games in hand are as valuable or invaluable as a team makes them. Minnesota did itself no favors by dropping seven out of their last ten games before the break as they had a stunning drop on defensive metrics. The Wild were ranked 21st in the NHL for goals against yet ranked first for fewest shots allowed. It all points to the elephant in the room in regards to Minnesota’s playoff prospects.
Minnesota netminders Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper have identical save percentages of .901 in a .920 era. LW Zach Parise has been the offensive spark for the Wild as the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals and 14 assists. D Ryan Suter continues to perform at a world class level with a team high 21 assists and a +3 against the NHL’s top lines.
Here Come the Hawks
Chicago has no such goaltending problems as the Blackhawks rank best in the NHL for goals against despite ranking 12th for shots permitted. Goalie Corey Crawford had a save percentage of .923 while backups Antti Raanta (.944) and Scott Darling (.937) were just as effective. Crawford missed most of December with injury and was rusty upon his return with an .844 save percentage but should quickly return to form. The mighty Blackhawks backed up the truck for their dynamic duo of RW Patrick Kane and C Jonathan Toews and the investment is paying huge dividends. Kane had 16 goals and 20 assists while Toews had 13 goals and 16 assists. Defender Duncan Keith remains at an elite level with six goals, 13 assists, and a +10 against the top lines in the game. Chicago’s only worry would be scoring depth which will be needed come playoff time.
A Predatory Strike
The Nashville Predators won five out of their last seven games before the Holiday Break to take over second place in the Central. The best defense corps in the game plus the goaltending of Pekka Rinne combined with an improved offensive attack has added up to make for a bona fide Stanley Cup contender that nobody will want to face come playoff time.
