Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 23rd 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Minnesota Wild have one final opportunity to halt their downward spiral before taking a break for the holiday season.
On Monday night in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the Wild will aim to break their four-game losing streak as they face off against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Wild are currently facing injuries to several key players, including their top goaltender Filip Gustavsson who has been out for the past five games due to a lower-body injury. However, the team is not using these injuries as an excuse.
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According to Wild coach John Hynes, "It's not about who's missing, it's about who's playing and having the right mindset and approach to the game."
Chicago has shown improvement in recent games since making a coaching change. Under Luke Richardson, the Blackhawks had a record of 8-16-2, but since Anders Sorensen took over, they have a record of 4-4-0.
In their past four games, Chicago has scored a total of 15 goals and currently holds a record of 3-1-0.
Leading the Blackhawks in points is Connor Bedard with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 34 games. He has also been on a hot streak with three goals and seven assists in his last eight games.
Head coach Anders Sorensen has praised Bedard, stating, "His hockey IQ is off the charts."
Following Bedard is Teuvo Teravainen with 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 34 games and Ryan Donato with 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 32 games.
On the other side, the Wild are led by Kirill Kaprizov with 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) in 33 games. Matt Boldy follows with 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 34 games, and Marco Rossi rounds out the top three with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 34 games.
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Despite a strong start to the season, coach Hynes has noticed some poor habits from his players, particularly on the power play. In their last two games, the Wild have gone 0-for-9 on the man advantage.
Hynes believes that the team needs to focus on playing the right way and not trying to make the perfect play every time. He stated, "When you're looking to make those east-west passes and play a perimeter game, you're not going to score."
For Monday's game, Chicago may choose to start either Petr Mrazek or Arvid Soderblom in net. Mrazek has a record of 7-12-1 with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 21 games, while Soderblom holds a record of 5-7-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 13 games.
If Gustavsson remains out for the Wild, they have the option of starting either Marc-Andre Fleury (6-3-1, 2.81 GAA, .898 save percentage) or Jesper Wallstedt (0-2-0, 4.09 GAA, .843 save percentage).
This will be the third of four regular season games between the Wild and Blackhawks. In their first matchup on November 10, Chicago won 2-1 in overtime at home, but the Wild bounced back with a 3-2 win on their home ice on November 29.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild Recap NOV 29TH 2024
Jared Spurgeon celebrated his 35th birthday in style, scoring twice to help the Minnesota Wild rally past the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Friday in St. Paul.
The Wild captain, who played just 16 games last season due to back and hip injuries, scored for the first time since April 2023 and notched the eighth multi-goal game in his 15-year career.
Trailing 2-0 midway through the second period, the Wild made some changes to their lines, and the shake-up led to two goals in a 17-second span.
Marco Rossi cut Chicago's lead in half after Marcus Johansson found him cutting to the net. Kirill Kaprizov, who played in his 300th NHL game, set up the goal with a spinning pass across the attacking zone to Johansson.
Seconds after the ensuing faceoff, Spurgeon tied when he knocked the puck into the crease, and it deflected into the net off Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy's skate with 9:11 left in the second.
Seven minutes later, Spurgeon gave Minnesota its first lead of the game when he skated across center ice and shot the puck after entering the attack zone. Chicago goalie Petr Mrazek got his glove on the puck, but it still trickled past him into the net.
Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists for the Wild. Kaprizov, Johansson, Matt Boldy and Marcus Foligno also recorded assists for Minnesota, which won for the second straight game.
Former Wild center Ryan Donato scored both goals for the Blackhawks, including a power-play tally in the second period. It was the second two-goal game of the season for Chicago's leading goal scorer, who has 10 in 21 games after never recording more than 16 in his previous eight seasons.
Tyler Bertuzzi, Alex Vlasic and Connor Bedard earned assists for the Blackhawks.
Marc-Andre Fleury got the start in net for the Wild, who will host Nashville on Saturday night. The veteran goalie, who turned 40 on Thursday, made 20 saves to win for the fifth time in six starts.
Mrazek made 26 saves for Chicago, which lost for the fifth time in seven games.