MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:
SERIES NOTES
GAME BROADCASTS
ST. LOUIS BLUES
All-Time Wild Record: 38-33-19 (24-14-8 at Xcel Energy Center, 14-19-11 at St. Louis)
2022-23: The Wild is 1-1-0 against the Blues this season, earning a 5-2 victory at St. Louis in the first meeting (12/31) and falling 3-0 at Xcel Energy Center in the second game (1/8)…LW Jordan Greenway (1-1=2), C Ryan Hartman (2-0=2) and D Jared Spurgeon (1-1=2) lead Minnesota with two points each…D Matt Dumba (1-0=1) also scored a goal in the first game…G Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 of 31 shots faced for the Wild in the first meeting…G Filip Gustavsson saved 21 of 23 shots faced in the second game…LW Pavel Buchnevich (0-2=2), D Colton Parayko (0-2=2), C Jordan Kyrou (0-2=2), LW Brandon Saad (1-1=2) and C Brayden Schenn (2-0=2) lead St. Louis with two points each…G Jordan Binnington stopped 27 of 31 shots faced for the Blues in the first game…G Thomas Greiss stopped all 35 shots faced in the second game.
WILD LEADERS: D Alex Goligoski leads the Wild with 21 points (6-15=21) in 49 games vs. the Blues…D John Klingberg has 20 points (7-13=20) in 31 contests… RW Mats Zuccarello has 16 points (7-9=16) in 25 contests…Dumba owns 14 points (8-6=14) in 32 matches.
WILD GOALIES: Fleury is 10-12-2 with a 2.73 GAA and a .913 SV% in 24 career starts vs St. Louis…Gustavsson is 0-1-0 with a 2.13 GAA and a .913 SV% in one career start.
BLUES LEADERS: Saad (13-11=24 in 40 games) and Schenn (9-15=24 in 30 games) lead the Blues with 24 points each against Minnesota…D Torey Krug has 23 points (6-17=23) in 23 games…D Nick Leddy owns 18 points (3-15=18) in 31 contests.
BLUES GOALIES: Binnington is 7-2-1 with a 2.31 GAA, a .920 SV% and one shutout in 10 career starts against Minnesota…Greiss is 6-3-0 with a 2.23 GAA and a 9.28 SV% and one shutout in nine starts.
FAST FACTS: The Wild has points in 23 of its last 38 contests against the Blues (15-15-8)…Minnesota is 7-11-7 in the last 25 games in St. Louis, including nine extra session contests, while posting points in 14 of its last 21 games in Saint Paul (10-7-4)…The Wild topped the Blues in the 2015 First Round, clinching the series with a Game 6 win in Saint Paul – marking the first time in franchise history Minnesota won a playoff series on home ice…The Blues defeated the Wild in the 2017 First Round and 2022 First Round.
INJURIES
Jonas Brodin: lower body
Brandon Duhaime: upper body
Kirill Kaprizov: lower body
Gustav Nyquist: upper body
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
3/9/23 Recalled F Sammy Walker from Iowa.
3/9/23 Signed D Kyle Masters to a three-year, entry-level contract
3/6/23 Signed D David Spacek to a three-year, entry-level contract
FINDING THEIR GROOVE
• Minnesota is first in the NHL with 26 points and a .813 point percentage since Feb. 11 (11-1-4) and is tied for first in wins.
• The Wild’s current 13-game point streak (10-0-3) is tied for fourth-longest in the NHL this season and tied for the longest in franchise history.
• Since Feb. 11, the Wild leads the NHL with a .945 team save percentage and has allowed a league-low 1.63 goals against per game.
• Since Feb. 11, Minnesota is second in the NHL with a 90.0 penalty-kill percentage (36-for-40).
ON THE POWER PLAY
• The Wild has converted 27.2 percent (28 of 103) of power-play opportunities at home this season, fifth-best in the NHL.
• Since Jan. 19, Minnesota ranks tied for sixth in the NHL with 15 powerplay goals
LOCK-DOWN DEFENSE
• Minnesota has conceded less than two goals in 24 games this season, tied for most in the NHL. The Wild holds a 21-1-2 record when allowing less than two goals.
• In 41 games since Dec. 10, the Wild has posted a 2.22 GA/Gm average, the second-best mark in the NHL during that span.
PENALTY KILLERS
• Minnesota has allowed five opponent power-play goals in the last 20 games (since 1/28).
• For the season, the Wild is 10th in the NHL with a 81.9 penalty-kill percentage (172 for 210).
• Recorded a streak of 27 consecutive successful penalty kills across 14 total games snapped from 2/6 to 3/2. Did not allow a power-play goal in 12 consecutive games from 2/8 – 2/28, the longest streak in the NHL this season, tied for the longest streak in franchise history and tied for the 13th-longest streak in the NHL’s Expansion Era (since 1967-68 season).
• Since Nov. 8, Minnesota is fourth in the NHL with a 83.5 penalty-kill percentage (147 for 176).
• Minnesota is 10th in the NHL with a 81.4 penalty-kill percentage (92 of 113) on the road this season.
ST. LOUIS BLUES NOTES:
CURRENT INJURIES
Jake Neighbours – Upper-Body (Will be re-evaluated in 5 weeks; announced on Feb. 20)
2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 247
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
March
6 – Signed college free agent defenseman Anton Malmstrom to a two-year, entry-level contract
3 – Acquired forward Jakub Vrana from Detroit in exchange for Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 7th-round draft pick
2 – Signed forward Sammy Blais to a one-year, $1,000,000 contract extension
1 – Signed defenseman Michael Buchinger to a three-year, entry-level contract
BLUES vs. WILD
- This will be the 3rd of 4 matchups between the Blues and Wild this season
- The Blues are 1-1-0 against Minnesota this season, losing 5-2 on Dec. 31 at home and winning 3-0 on Jan. 8 at Minnesota
- The Blues are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games against Minnesota
- The Blues lost their last home game against Minnesota, but won their previous 7 games against the Wild at Enterprise Center
- The Blues have scored at least 3 goals in 11 of their last 12 games against Minnesota, outscoring the Wild 56 to 34 over those 12 games
- The Blues have not allowed a power play goal to the Wild in 9 of their last 10 games, going 21 for 22 (95.5%) on the penalty kill over those 10 games
- Blues’ Head Coach Craig Berube will coach his 500th game in the NHL, becoming just the 6th individual in NHL history to coach 500+ games and play in 1000+ games in the NHL
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
3/17 – at Washington
3/19 – vs. Winnipeg
3/21 – vs. Detroit
3/23 – at Detroit
3/25 – at Anaheim
A LOOK AHEAD
- 3 of the Blues’ next 4 games, including tonight vs. Minnesota, will come at Enterprise Center
- The Blues will play 9 more games in March (5 away; 4 home)
- 6 of the Blues’ remining 9 games in March will come against Western Conference opponents (3 against the Central)
EXTRA NUGGETS
- The Blues are 23-9-2 this season when scoring first
- The Blues are 1 of 6 teams to record 3 multi-goal third period comeback wins this season (1. Kings/Islanders, 4 / 2. Ducks/Canucks/Blackhawks, 3)
- Since Dec. 11, 39 games, the Blues are 89 for 106 on the penalty kill (84.0%), which shares 7th in the NHL over that span (1. Carolina, 105 for 120, 87.5%)
- The Blues have scored 7 shorthanded goals this season, which shares 13th in the NHL (1. Edmonton, 12)
