Wild coach Bruce Boudreau had an interesting comparison to make when asked what made Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane so good on Tuesday.
"He’s like whatever you call those — water bugs," Boudreau said.
He meant it as a compliment.
"He can stop on a dime, go either way, left or right," Boudreau said. "He can make plays and he can skate. Other than being not the biggest guy in the world, he does everything else well. I’d say he’s probably the top threat in the league when you look at individual players with the puck."
Boudreau will have the task of stopping Kane and the Hawks, who are playing some of their best hockey of the season over the last few weeks. The Hawks have won six of seven. The problem is the Wild, who lead the Central Division, have won six of their last eight and still lead the Hawks by seven points in the standings.
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said he would like the Hawks to be withing shouting distance of the Wild as the season enters the stretch run. A win Tuesday would accomplish that for the Hawks.
"They play a real strong team game, they have speed on all their lines, they have more balance than they’ve probably had the last few years," Quenneville said. "A very mobile defense, good in net, so they’re strong in all areas."
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