Minnesota Gophers coach Bob Motzko likes to say that in college hockey, you get three kicks of the garbage can per season. At the NHL level, Wild coach John Hynes said, you don’t get three.
From back-to-back loses to back-to-back wins, the Wild are looking like themselves again after a complete team effort vs. the Maple Leafs.
Forward Yakov Trenin was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, replaced by Drew Shore in the lineup, and defenseman Declan Chisholm — also healthy — sat out for the first time since Nov. 23, replaced by Travis Dermott.
The Jack Adams Award odds have been updated, with the current Minnesota Wild head coach and former among the top contenders.
We’ve had a lot of injuries all year, to multiple different guys,” head coach John Hynes said, to the media gathered at Scotiabank Arena. “The good thing for us is we know who we are as a
Minnesota Wild fans no longer want to hear about the injuries that have plagued the team since December. However, Minnesota didn’t immediately win when Jared Spurgeon and Kirill Kaprizov returned to the lineup before Kaprizov’s latest injury.
The Montreal Canadiens will welcome the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre tonight and Martin St-Louis' men will try to avoid a fourth loss in a row while facing legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for one last time at home.
John Hynes knows that William Nylander can lead the Maple Leafs out of the little hole they’ve dug for themselves. The Leafs have scored just two goals in losing their past two games, and neither came off the stick of Nylander after the star winger had four goals in the previous three games, all Toronto victories.
Fleury, who grew up an hour outside town, made 20 saves and waited out a lengthy standing ovation late in the game.
The Minnesota Wild goalie known as “Flower” was greeted at the Bell Center with cheers and dozens of signs, in French and English, welcoming him back to Quebec for one more go.
Fleury shut out the Canadiens in his final game in his home province of Quebec, earning a standing ovation lasting over two minutes.
The Rhode Island native starred at La Salle Academy and played at UMass before embarking on a coaching career. Good luck in Jacksonville!