The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue all week long after an excellent start over the weekend.
The playoffs have already delivered some chaos: the Buffalo Sabres stormed back late to stun the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadiens won Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime thanks to a hat trick from Juraj Slafkovsky, and the Minnesota Wild crushed the Dallas Stars early just to remind everyone brackets aren’t set in stone. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights ...
Saturday afternoon was a major victory for fans of old-time hockey.
The playoffs kicked off, and bodies started hitting the boards. Pucks were in deep, if not at the net. And leading the Wild in power play goals was none other than hard-nosed, no-nonsense, two-way forward Joel Eriksson Ek....
The Minnesota Wild’s 2025-26 campaign has been memorable. Whether it’s the blockbuster trade for Quinn Hughes or being a significant contributor to a United States Gold Medal win, the Wild are as relevant as they’ve ever been. However, Matt Boldy’s emergence as a true star player has been one of the...
After the Minnesota Wild's statement win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday, fans still found something to complain about. As a lifelong Minnesota fan, I understand being leery. I understand being cautious. Tonight’s Game 2 will give us a little more information about how we should be feeling and whe...
The Minnesota Wild have enough high-end talent to score in bunches. Still, to stay dangerous over the long haul, their defense has to contribute more on the scoreboard. That starts with Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes, two defensemen who already play huge minutes and shape the game at both ends....
John Hynes is not satisfied. Despite the Minnesota Wild having the most dominant performance out of any Game 1 matchup (so far) in the playoffs after wiping the floor with the Dallas Stars to the tune of 6-1, the head coach demands more.
“We prepped for a few days to play Game 1 and we played G...
The Minnesota Wild set the tone early and never let the Dallas Stars settle in, riding a strong start and a confident performance from backup goalie Jesper Wallstedt in a 6-1 Game 1 win. Their best players also delivered, with Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov, and Joel Eriksson Ek driving the offense and...
By now, everyone has heard the comments made by various Winnipeg Jets as they cleaned out their lockers, and it seemed like there general consensus that the Jets have to get younger and faster. Whether that happens will be seen in the future, but there was a good display of how old and slow plays against younger and faster tonight as the Minnesota Wild opened their series against the Dallas Stars by punching them square in the mouth via their 6-1 win. This game was over before the halfway poin...
Recap of the game.
Nine days ago, the Minnesota Wild went to American Airlines Arena with one goal: To prove they could go into the Dallas Stars' building and take it to them. And the message was almost received. The Wild out-attempted Dallas 60-41 while playing a physical, but disciplined game. They made the Stars pa...
On the surface, it appears that for most NHL teams, their starting lineups are set in stone for the playoffs. There isn't much room for players to step in and out of the lineup, and for the most part, if you’re a regular and you're somewhat healthy, you’re in. But come playoff time, located deep in...
An epic first-round matchup deserves an epic first-round preview. Join the Wilderness Talk Crew alongside guest Jayden Homuth as they get you ready for perhaps the most anticipated playoff series in Wild history. Why Jesper Wallstedt should be the game 1 starter to unhearlded x-factors in the series...
The Florida Panthers are still the defending Stanley Cup champions, but not for long as this year’s NHL postseason kicks off with a trio of exciting games today.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators will meet for the first time ever in the playoffs this afternoon. The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild will faceoff for the third time in the postseason this evening. And prime time sees intrastate rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers do battle in the playoffs for the f...
Recap of the game.
Here we are, a decade removed from the 2014-15 season, when the Minnesota Wild last advanced to the second round of the playoffs. It’s been seven years since August 2019, when the Wild hired Bill Guerin to get them over the hump, to borrow a phrase. Analytically, they have a 50/50 chance of advancin...
The Minnesota Wild had another successful regular season, and now the focus shifts to whether that strong regular-season play can finally translate into a first-round playoff breakthrough. Minnesota enters the playoffs with a 45-23-12 record and a third-place finish in the Central Division, and they...
In the last two decades, the first round of the playoffs has caused some discomfort for fans in Minnesota. That locus can be pretty specific to the team you’re following most closely, but generally speaking, the gods of competition have not been kind to local teams heading out to face their first-ro...
The Minnesota Wild still have not made a decision on who is going to start in the crease for Game 1 in Dallas against the Stars.
It is obviously a vital decision if they want to start the playoffs on the right foot and considering the opponent, it could mean life or death since the possibility...
The looming Stanley Cup Playoffs are taking up most of the attention right now in Minnesota, but the postseason isn’t the only exciting thing about this time of year. The NCAA season recently wrapped up as well, allowing NHL teams to pick up some undrafted free agents from the collegiate ranks....
The Minnesota Wild’s first-round matchup with the Dallas Stars has all the ingredients of a tough, physical playoff series. However, it’s only the beginning of a much longer path to the Stanley Cup Final. Dallas finished ahead of Minnesota in the Central Division, and their recent head-to-head battl...
As Game 1 approaches, the Minnesota Wild are going to have to navigate a crowded net. They have two starting-caliber goalies, but just one of Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstead Wallstedt can occupy the crease at a time. Of all of John Hynes' decisions, this will be the easiest to second-guess. If...
That's Wild
The Minnesota Wild were able to bully over the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 3-2 to get a win in their season finale. Getting a win in the last game before they truly matter, is at least worth something. Such as, Hunter Haight scoring his first NHL goal. [StarTribune]
Jesper...
Each season, as the college hockey season winds down and teams begin to be eliminated from the NCAA postseason, a mini free-agent frenzy begins as NHL teams compete to sign undrafted players they believe could help their organization.
While every team hopes to make a home run signing and nab a...
If you're looking at the goalie to the left and thinking you know him from his gear, that's Minnesota Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt. It's Wallstedt's first full season in the NHL despite playing in five games prior to this campaign, but the young netminder has fared well with an 18-9-6 record, a 2.61 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and four shutouts. His wins and shutouts are a team record for a rookie goaltender, his save percentage is tied for first and his GAA ranks second....
The foundational aspect of hockey is that it’s played at live speed. It’s not unique to hockey -- sports like basketball and soccer have the same characteristic. But it’s this feature that makes hockey so rewarding to watch and play. Reacting to your opponents and teammates, then making plays in rea...