Alex Tuch makes his NHL debut tomorrow vs. the #canucks. How many #mnwild players have scored a goal in their NHL debut?
The answer to this Twitter trivia question from yesterday? 7
Gaborik, Marian 10/6/2000
Dupuis, Pascal 04/02/2001
Wallin, Rickard 12/12/2002
McMillan, Carson 04/03/2011
Rau, Chad 01/21/2012
Granlund, Mikael 01/19/2013
Joel Eriksson Ek 10/22/16
If you get the Center Ice package, Devan Dubnyk will be Scott Oake’s After Hours guest on Hockey Night in Canada. If you have questions for Dubnyk, tweet @scottoake.
This being Feb. 4, all goalies, including Dubnyk, have to debut their slimmed-down pants. Sarcastically, Dubnyk said, “Very excited.”
“It’s done now,” he said. “They feel fine. I won’t think twice about it. I already tried to have a choice. I don’t get a choice. I’ve had four or five practices in them. They spent significant time in the steam room, and they’re ready to go.”
Incidentally, Dubnyk has been working in during recent practices a new green mask that he’ll debut when the Wild next wears green sweaters at home, Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Check out yesterday’s blog for the lines, etc (Nate Prosser and Jordan Schroeder are tonight’s scratches), but the Wild, 1-1 on a four-game trip, returns to the scene where it blew a two-goal lead Nov. 29, gave up four straight goals, rallied to tie and still lost in regulation.
Wednesday in Calgary, the Wild lost for the first time in regulation on the road since, snapping a 14-game point streak. The 5-1 loss was its most lopsided defeat of the season. The Canucks are 3-4-3 in their past 10.
Mikael Granlund is riding a franchise-record 11-game point streak, the longest current point streak in the NHL and tied with Chicago’s Artem Anisimov for the longest in the NHL this season. Jason Zucker has 10 goals and 19 points in the past 19 games.
Mikko Koivu leads Minnesota with 40 points in 53 games against Vancouver.
Zach Parise and Eric Staal are reunited tonight with Tuch to start on the right. The last time in Vancouver, Parise-Staal-Charlie Coyle had such a tough game, coach Bruce Boudreau had to get them away from the Sedins.
Staal has dried up lately. He said he has to get back to getting to the net and using his legs. He said he hasn’t been nearly as assertive lately.
Bo Horvat leads the Canucks with 32 points in 51 games. Henrik Sedin owns 56 assists and 69 points in 81 games against Minnesota. He ranks first all-time against the Wild in assists and second in points. Twin brother Daniel Sedin has 42 assists and 64 points in 78 meetings. He ranks second in assists and third in points against Minnesota.
Minnesota is 8-4 in its last 12 games against the Canucks, including a 4-2 mark in its last six games in Vancouver. … The Wild’s 86 points vs. the Canucks are its third-most against any NHL franchise.
On the Canucks, Boudreau told his team, “Every team has a different sense of urgency and a different time for sense of urgency. I think they’re in theirs, so they’re going to play playoff hockey. If we’re just going through the motions and playing the game like the dog days of February, then we’re going to be in for a hard game tonight and we won’t like the result. So, we’re going to have to be at our best, and we weren’t at our best in Calgary.”
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