Stars vs Wild Round 1

[Jimtown guy]

Minnesota Wild

2.91 Goals For Per Game (23rd in the NHL)
2.67 Goals Against Per Game (6th in the NHL)

21.4% Power Play (15th in the NHL)
82% Penalty Kill (10th in the NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:
1. #97 Kirill Kaprizov ~ 40G 35A = 75pts
2. #36 Mats Zuccarello ~ 22G 45A = 67pts
3. #12 Matt Boldy ~ 31G 32A = 63pts
4. #90 Marcus Johansson ~ 19G 27A = 46pts
5. #89 Frederic Gaudreau ~ 19G 19A = 38pts

Top 3 PIM's:
1. #17 Marcus Foligno ~ 97 PIM's
2. #38 Ryan Hartman ~ 90 PIM's
3. #24 Matt Dumba ~ 81 PIM's

Top Goaltenders:
1. #32 Filip Gustavsson (22-9-7) 2.10GAA .931% 3SO
2. #29 Marc-Andre Fleury (24-16-4) 2.85GAA .908% 2SO


Vs.


Dallas Stars

3.43 Goals For Per Game (7th in the NHL)
2.62 Goals Against Per Game (3rd in the NHL)

25th% Power Play (5th in the NHL)
83.5% Penalty Kill (3rd in the NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:
1. #21 Jason Robertson ~ 46G 63A = 109pts
2. #14 Jamie Benn ~ 38G 45A = 78pts
3. #16 Joel Pavelski ~ 28G 49A = 77pts
4. #24 Roope Hintz ~ 37G 38A = 75pts
5. #4 Miro Heiskanen ~ 11G 62A = 73pts

Top 3 PIM's:
1. #27 Mason Marchment ~ 80 PIM's
2. #2 Jani Hakanpaa ~ 60 PIM's
3. #10 Ty Dellanadrea ~ 54 PIM's

Top Goaltenders:
1. #29 Jake Oettinger (37-11-11) 2.37GAA .919% 5SO
2. #41 Scott Wedgewood (9-8-3) 2.72GAA .915% 1SO

Lines:

Dallas Stars

Robertson~Hintz~Pavelski
Ja. Benn~Johnston~Dadonov
Domi~Seguin~Marchment
Kiviranta~Faksa~Dellandrea

R. Suter~Heiskanen
Lindell~Hakanpaa
Harley~C. Miller

Oettinger
Wedgewood

Minnesota Wild

Kaprizov~Hartman~Zuccarello
M. Johansson~F. Gaudreau~Boldy
Nyquist~Steel~M. Foligno
Duhaime~Dewar~Reaves

Middleton~Spurgeon
Brodin~Dumba
Goligoski~Faber

Gustavsson
Fleury

[Jimtown guy]

Time to prove this pessimist wrong. Got the stars winning in 6

[Slap Shot]

Stars in 5.

[Jimtown guy]

From The Hockey News:

DALLAS STARS (4) VS. MINNESOTA WILD (6)
Why the Stars could win: The Stars have one of the very best, incredibly well-balanced top-nine forward groups in the league. They also have a defense corps anchored by perennial Norris Trophy candidate Miro Heiskanen and buttressed by star goaltender Jake Oettinger. They’re outstanding in all the right places.
Dallas finished the season on an 8-2-0 run, and they’ve got the NHL’s third-best defense (averaging just 2.62 goals-against per game) and the league’s sixth-best offense (averaging 3.43 goals-for per game). They have high-stakes game experience (Joe Pavelski, Ryan Suter, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin) and youthful exuberance (Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston). They went 2-0-2 against Minnesota this season, with both losses coming in a shootout. And the last time the Wild and Stars played was back on Feb. 17. Two months of no contact between the two teams means there’s going to be a feeling-out process in the first couple of games, but over a seven-game series, the Stars should be able to win out and move on to the second round.

Why the Wild could win: Full disclosure: we haven’t been a fan of the Wild as currently constructed for some time now. Minnesota may have the NHL’s sixth-best goals-against number (2.67), but their offense is in the bottom 10 of the league (2.91 goals-for per game). The Wild have a better-than-average 1-2 punch in net, with Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson making good cases to be Minnesota’s starting goalie in Game 1. But they lost five of their final seven regular-season games this year, and in four of those five losses, Fleury and Gustavsson allowed four goals. Worrisome for Wild fans, to be sure.
There is a drop-off in skill from the Wild’s third line of forwards to its fourth line. And their defense corps isn’t particularly big or imposing. They need to keep Dallas’ top two lines off the scoresheet as much as possible, but we feel like they’re not going to be good at that. It’s not to say it can’t happen; it is to say you have to respect Dallas’ depth and experience at least as much, if not more, than Minnesota’s. The Wild could win, but that’s not our pick for this series

Who is going to win: Dallas
The Stars are a well-oiled machine entering this year’s post-season. Since Feb. 27, they’ve only once lost more than two games in a row, and even then, that losing streak ended at two games. Dallas went 16-5-1 in their final 22 games of the season, and they’re a better, deeper team on paper than Minnesota is. Oettinger is the best goalie in the series, which is another advantage for the Stars. And Dallas is well-coached with Peter DeBoer at the helm.
This series could go seven games, but we also think the Stars are good enough to make quick work of the Wild. Minnesota will have its moment in the sunshine of victory in the playoffs, but we suspect Dallas will limit that moment and roll over the Wild in short order.
PICK: Dallas in five games

[Hornets]

JimmyT you kind of stepped on my GDT for April and May....











But glad you're back and hope you'll engage in some playoff hockey banter come game time!

[MN Mediocrity]

Good PP for the Stars, they must not let Suter on it.

[Jimtown guy]

JimmyT you kind of stepped on my GDT for April and May....











But glad you're back and hope you'll engage in some playoff hockey banter come game time!

It was requested by a fellow rube so I got on it. It’s the Stanley Cup playoffs damnit. Needs its own thread

[Hornets]

JimmyT you kind of stepped on my GDT for April and May....











But glad you're back and hope you'll engage in some playoff hockey banter come game time!

It was requested by a fellow rube so I got on it. It’s the Stanley Cup playoffs damnit. Needs its own thread

Yeah, you're probably right....hope it ends up being a loooong thread!

As far as the series, getting Ek back asap is huge. My guess is he'll make his first appearance in game 3 Friday night. The pressure is on Dallas and hoping we can steal one of these first 2 games. DAMN the late starting times though...

[Slap Shot]

Welcome back JT. Good to see you're alive and well.

[Jimtown guy]

Welcome back JT. Good to see you're alive and well.

Thanks SS. Just took some time off from social media and message boards, although I still frequented my UND site. Hell of a year for the gophers. Heartbreak ending as you know. I wasn’t to bummed about it

[Ask Not]

Jimtown Guy!
I hope you brought a winner with ya, young fella.

[Jimtown guy]

Jimtown Guy!
I hope you brought a winner with ya, young fella.

Haven’t been called young fella for years

[Slap Shot]

Welcome back JT. Good to see you're alive and well.

Thanks SS. Just took some time off from social media and message boards, although I still frequented my UND site. Hell of a year for the gophers. Heartbreak ending as you know. I wasn’t to bummed about it

Yeah yeah.

[Jimtown guy]

Welcome back JT. Good to see you're alive and well.

Thanks SS. Just took some time off from social media and message boards, although I still frequented my UND site. Hell of a year for the gophers. Heartbreak ending as you know. I wasn’t to bummed about it

Yeah yeah.

Now now

[WannaBeProGolferGuy]

Thanks SS. Just took some time off from social media and message boards, although I still frequented my UND site. Hell of a year for the gophers. Heartbreak ending as you know. I wasn’t to bummed about it

Yeah yeah.

Now now

Jesus Miramba, aka Heysus Miramba we have a Yimmy sighting!!

[Hornets]

Great video to get us pumped for Lord Stanley!!


Click here to learn how to add YouTube Videos to your phpBB forum

[Lightning]

Game on!

[Hornets]

Gonna watch the BSN feed!

[dennis1]

Can we not have a play stoppage every five seconds in the Carolina game?

[Hornets]

SO glad BG going with Gus for game 1.....

[mnbob70]

Great video to get us pumped for Lord Stanley!!

[Justin Kase]

Let’s go Wild!!! Not digging the later start, but pumped for the Cup!!!

I’m surprised to see the third D pairing tonight, Merrill in with Faber. I see Klingberg maybe injured, I would have guessed Goose in with Faber, but Dean was talking pretty highly of Merrill late last week.

[Justin Kase]

Gonna watch the BSN feed!

I’ll switch back and forth most likely.

[Jimtown guy]

Let’s go Wild!!! Not digging the later start, but pumped for the Cup!!!

I’m surprised to see the third D pairing tonight, Merrill in with Faber. I see Klingberg maybe injured, I would have guessed Goose in with Faber, but Dean was talking pretty highly of Merrill late last week.

Looks like Goose is with Faber

[Hornets]

Let’s go Wild!!! Not digging the later start, but pumped for the Cup!!!

I’m surprised to see the third D pairing tonight, Merrill in with Faber. I see Klingberg maybe injured, I would have guessed Goose in with Faber, but Dean was talking pretty highly of Merrill late last week.

I'm stoked to see how Faber handles this!

[Hornets]

Don't hate me fellas but I'll be off to bed by the end of period 2....

[Jimtown guy]

It is Merrill and Faber

[Justin Kase]

Let’s go Wild!!! Not digging the later start, but pumped for the Cup!!!

I’m surprised to see the third D pairing tonight, Merrill in with Faber. I see Klingberg maybe injured, I would have guessed Goose in with Faber, but Dean was talking pretty highly of Merrill late last week.

Looks like Goose is with Faber

I’d rather see that, but it’s Merrill, JT. Did they both warm up I wonder? Don’t think you can do that.

[Lightning]

This team is too small for the playoffs still. Hartman will disappear and no Sunny is a bummer.

[LwnmwrMan222]

Does it seem like the frame rate is choppy on your TV? We're trying to figure out if our TV is going bad or if it's the feed?