Saturday Night Special
By BookieKiller.com's NHL Guru, RINK RAT
First meeting of year.
Last season Minnesota lost 2-1 in Washington
Minnesota's home goal scoring average is 6th in the Western Conference and their defensive record is 4th. Their power play is a poor 13th while the penalty killing is a gratifying 4th. Goaltending is 5th best in the conference and their special teams differential is a decent +3. Washington's road goal scoring record is 12th in the Eastern Conference. However their goals against record is a strong second. The power play is a middle of the pack 8th and penalty killing is similarly ranked 7th. Goaltending is a strong .929 and Olaf Kolzig is ranked 5th with a .935 save percentage. Caps special teams differential is a worrying -5, which puts them down in the depths for that rating.
Minnesota has turned in one of the early season's shock performances. While they've been idling along for the past 10 games, they are still sitting second in the Western Conference. Marian Gaborik leads the league in goal-scoring with 11 and Cliff Ronning is right behind him in team scoring. The Wild's roster is peppered with the likes of Wes Walz, Richard Park, and Jim Dowd, players who failed elsewhere but are now contributing to a great run of success. Goaltenders Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson are ranked first and fifth in goaltender performance. The team doesn't shoot much at home (24.2 shots/game) but they have a good 2.90 goals for average. Their power play isn't much either (ranked 13th) but their penalty killing is fourth. The Wild are a team which makes the most of their strong points, minimizes mistakes, and gives a good performance most nights. They had a hard game against Pittsburgh on Thursday, but can take comfort in having held Mario Lemieux off the scoresheet and while also skunking their power play.
Washington plays Friday night in Chicago, where they will face the red-hot Jocelyn Thibeault in the Blackhawk nets. Saturday's game against the Wild will be their third in four nights, and a back-to-back game, making them the tired team. The Caps have a losing record over their past ten games, and a good reason can be found in their awful 1.90 goals for average in road games. Surprisingly, that effort isn't the worst in the Eastern Conference, it's 12th. Their goals against average on the road is a much better 2.30 (2nd) and they do it the hard way, giving up a generous 32.3 shots per game on the road. Caps power play and penalty killing is middle of the pack, however they've conceded 64 penalty chances, third worst in the league. That record is responsible for their sad special teams differential of -5. This team seems to win 2-1 and lose 5-2. Goalkeeper Olaf Kolzig has had a rocky start with a hand injury but he has been good until a shellacking against Dallas at home, where the Caps were routed 6-1 Wednesday night. Caps are led by Jaromir Jagr and Peter Bondra but if they misfire there isn't much behind them. Dainius Zubrus, Michael Nylander, Mike Grier, and Calle Johanson, amongst others, are doing nothing on the score sheet.
Bill Muckalt of the Wild is out with a shoulder injury. Washington will be the tired team in this game, a team which doesn't score much on the road at the best of times while giving up too many penalties. The Wild's wild ride isn't over yet, the bubble may burst later this month when they face Vancouver, Dallas, and Colorado. However, this Saturday the Wild has more to bring than Washington and the Wild wins it. Take the WILD on the ML
Rink Rat can be reached via email at rsbookiekiller@hotmail.com
By BookieKiller.com's NHL Guru, RINK RAT
First meeting of year.
Last season Minnesota lost 2-1 in Washington
Minnesota's home goal scoring average is 6th in the Western Conference and their defensive record is 4th. Their power play is a poor 13th while the penalty killing is a gratifying 4th. Goaltending is 5th best in the conference and their special teams differential is a decent +3. Washington's road goal scoring record is 12th in the Eastern Conference. However their goals against record is a strong second. The power play is a middle of the pack 8th and penalty killing is similarly ranked 7th. Goaltending is a strong .929 and Olaf Kolzig is ranked 5th with a .935 save percentage. Caps special teams differential is a worrying -5, which puts them down in the depths for that rating.
Minnesota has turned in one of the early season's shock performances. While they've been idling along for the past 10 games, they are still sitting second in the Western Conference. Marian Gaborik leads the league in goal-scoring with 11 and Cliff Ronning is right behind him in team scoring. The Wild's roster is peppered with the likes of Wes Walz, Richard Park, and Jim Dowd, players who failed elsewhere but are now contributing to a great run of success. Goaltenders Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson are ranked first and fifth in goaltender performance. The team doesn't shoot much at home (24.2 shots/game) but they have a good 2.90 goals for average. Their power play isn't much either (ranked 13th) but their penalty killing is fourth. The Wild are a team which makes the most of their strong points, minimizes mistakes, and gives a good performance most nights. They had a hard game against Pittsburgh on Thursday, but can take comfort in having held Mario Lemieux off the scoresheet and while also skunking their power play.
Washington plays Friday night in Chicago, where they will face the red-hot Jocelyn Thibeault in the Blackhawk nets. Saturday's game against the Wild will be their third in four nights, and a back-to-back game, making them the tired team. The Caps have a losing record over their past ten games, and a good reason can be found in their awful 1.90 goals for average in road games. Surprisingly, that effort isn't the worst in the Eastern Conference, it's 12th. Their goals against average on the road is a much better 2.30 (2nd) and they do it the hard way, giving up a generous 32.3 shots per game on the road. Caps power play and penalty killing is middle of the pack, however they've conceded 64 penalty chances, third worst in the league. That record is responsible for their sad special teams differential of -5. This team seems to win 2-1 and lose 5-2. Goalkeeper Olaf Kolzig has had a rocky start with a hand injury but he has been good until a shellacking against Dallas at home, where the Caps were routed 6-1 Wednesday night. Caps are led by Jaromir Jagr and Peter Bondra but if they misfire there isn't much behind them. Dainius Zubrus, Michael Nylander, Mike Grier, and Calle Johanson, amongst others, are doing nothing on the score sheet.
Bill Muckalt of the Wild is out with a shoulder injury. Washington will be the tired team in this game, a team which doesn't score much on the road at the best of times while giving up too many penalties. The Wild's wild ride isn't over yet, the bubble may burst later this month when they face Vancouver, Dallas, and Colorado. However, this Saturday the Wild has more to bring than Washington and the Wild wins it. Take the WILD on the ML
Rink Rat can be reached via email at rsbookiekiller@hotmail.com
