A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
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...
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...
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...
The Detroit Red Wings dumped Vladimir Tarasenko on the Minnesota Wild this offseason, trading him for precisely nothing. And as far as breakups go, it wasn't Detroit, it was Vladimir. Injuries and age had turned Tarasenko from one of the league's great goal scorers into a defensive liability w...
There is only one question on every Minnesota Wild fan’s mind right now. Who’s getting the start between the pipes for the Wild in Game 1 of the 2025-26 Stanley Cup Playoffs next week in Dallas? In one corner, you have the incumbent starter. Filip Gustavsson, 27, has backstopped the Wild in the...
The Minnesota Wild’s physical players can be a real asset in a playoff matchup against the Dallas Stars. However, they can only make a positive impact if they play disciplined hockey. In a postseason series that already has plenty of intensity, the Wild’s best “fighters” are not just the playe...
8:30 PM 8:30 PM 8:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:00 PM 8:30 PM These were the local start times for the Minnesota Wild-Dallas Stars series in April 2023. If you wanted to see Kirill Kaprizov going head-to-head with Jason Robertson and Co., it was crucial to brew that late-afternoon cup of coffee. An...
That's Wild The Minnesota Wild rest just about every single one of their good offensive players, and then even more than that, for Monday night's game against the St. Louis Blues. And no surprise, they ended up losing the game by a score of 6-3 without those players. [StarTribune] Wild...
Marcus Foligno has built a reputation in Minnesota as more than a hard-nosed winger and alternate captain. On April 9, the Minnesota Wild named him the 2026 recipient of the Tom Kurvers Humanitarian Award and also the club’s nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, recognizing his leadership and...
The Minnesota Wild appeared to show their hand in Thursday's loss to the Dallas Stars. In a heavyweight tilt that came four games before their first-round playoff matchup, the Wild iced their likely Game 1 lineup. That lineup did not include Bobby Brink. It looks like a curious decision, just b...
That's Wild The Minnesota Wild are in the playoffs. We all know that already. But what we don't know is who exactly will be in the Wild's lineup for Game 1 of the first round against the Dallas Stars. There are multiple lineup decisions that John Hynes and the rest of his staff have to make...
The end of the season for the Minnesota Wild hasn’t been perfect. There’ve been a few losses, some goalie bobbles, and some weird penalties taken. But overall, the vibes have been great since the trade deadline and have only gotten better heading into the playoffs. Besties for the Resties...
Thursday night’s game between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars was a playoff preview. The 5-4 loss had everything a hockey fan could dream of this time of year. Some were declaring it “Game Zero” in advance of the best-of-seven series that will begin next week. But lost in all the fists and...
This Minnesota Wild season has been defined by two superstars playing at the peak of their powers, and somehow, neither has been Kirill Kaprizov. Instead, the oxygen around this team has been consumed by Matt Boldy's breakout 40/40 season and Quinn Hughes' revelatory arrival. Heck, they've alre...
The Minnesota Wild left Dallas with more than a loss on Thursday night. They left with a reminder that even a strong team can be vulnerable when a game turns into a grind, and that the playoffs will demand more than skill and scoring touch. In a 5-4 defeat to the Dallas Stars, the Wild twice built m...
The X’s and O’s of hockey are a complicated topic. On any given play, the picture changes incredibly quickly, and there are few set plays available to both teams. Comparing hockey to the other three major American sports, it’s harder to put hockey onto a whiteboard than football, baseball, or...
We can talk all we want about Thursday night's disappointing defeat to the Dallas Stars, as the Minnesota Wild suffered a 5-4 defeat in the preview of their first-round playoff series. But in the end, it only slightly confirmed that the Wild are going to not have home-ice advantage in this first-rou...