KEY PLAYERS
Mikko Koivu
Once Nino Niederreiter was put on their line in the first round, Koivu and Chris Stewart started to spend a lot more time in the offensive zone. Koivu scored one power-play goal in the series but was one of the Wild's best two-way forwards. That must continue. He has one point in 11 games against the Blackhawks the past two years and has been largely nullified by Jonathan Toews. There's no doubt the Wild needs more offensively from its captain.
Jason Zucker
Zucker scored three times in five games against Chicago, including a beautiful third-period goal in the playoff-clinching game in Chicago on April 7. Arguably the Wild's fastest player, he scored 21 goals in 51 games during the regular season and the first goal of the first round. He got hurt early in the series, so four days off this week should help him.
ø Ryan Suter
By the second round last year, the Wild's No. 1 defenseman's gas tank was depleting. The Wild made a conscious effort to decrease Suter's ice time in the second half of this season. Along with partner Jonas Brodin, Suter will be tasked with the most ice time and toughest matchups. The counterattack depends on their ability to get the puck out quickly and Suter also needs to provide more on the No. 1 power-play unit.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Offense
The Wild is averaging 2.83 goals per game in the playoffs, fifth in the NHL, but four goals were empty-netters. It had 11 different goal scorers in the first round, tied for the most in the NHL. The Zach Parise-Mikael Granlund-Jason Pominville line led the way with six goals and 17 points. Thomas Vanek and Stewart are searching for their first goals. The Wild registered 22.7 shots per game in the first round, fewest of the 16 teams.
Defense
The Wild is 38-6-4 (regular season and playoffs) when scoring first (won 25 of the past 28 games). During the regular season, the Wild allowed the fourth-fewest shots per game (27.6) and sixth-fewest goals per game (2.42). The blue line is mobile and suddenly balanced, largely due to Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon finally being healthy together, the acquisition of Jordan Leopold and the emergence of rookie Matt Dumba. The Wild is usually tight defensively and efficient getting out of its own zone.
Goaltending
For the first time entering a Wild-Blackhawks series, the Wild has stability in net. Two years ago, Niklas Backstrom got hurt right before Game 1. Last year, Darcy Kuemper got hurt in Game 7 of the first round and Ilya Bryzgalov returned to the cage for the Chicago series. Devan Dubnyk, acquired Jan. 14, started 38 in a row and went 27-9-2 with a 1.78 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in the regular season. He had one big Game 4 blip in the first round but rebounded by stopping 66 of 68 shots in Games 5 and 6.
Coaching
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville may have 754 regular-season wins (third all-time) compared with Mike Yeo's 150 and 187 playoff wins (fourth all-time) compared with Yeo's 11, but Yeo's not a baby anymore behind the bench. This is his fourth season at the Wild helm and third in the playoffs. He coached the NHL's best team in the second half in large part because of his poise through tough times, the defensive structure he deploys and the discipline he demands from his players on the ice.
Special teams
The Wild's 27th-ranked regular-season power play did a 180 in the first round, going 4-for-12 for an NHL-best .333 success rate (one empty-net goal by Pominville). If this continues, this could be big because the Blackhawks killed only 72.7 percent of Nashville's power plays in the first round. The Wild had the NHL's best penalty kill during the regular season (. 863) but gave up two power-play goals on 11 chances in the first round. The Wild was shorthanded 1.6 times per game in the first round, fewest in the NHL.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Forward lines: Nino Niederreiter-Mikko Koivu-Chris Stewart; Zach Parise (right)-Mikael Granlund-Jason Pominville; Jason Zucker-Charlie Coyle-Thomas Vanek; Matt Cooke-Kyle Brodziak-Justin Fontaine
Defense pairings: Ryan Suter-Jonas Brodin; Marco Scandella-Jared Spurgeon; Jordan Leopold-Matt Dumba
Goalies: Devan Dubnyk (right), Darcy Kuemper
Spares: Forwards Sean Bergenheim, Ryan Carter, Erik Haula and Jordan Schroeder; defensemen Christian Folin and Nate Prosser; goalie Niklas Backstrom. D Keith Ballard (concussion) is out.
MICHAEL RUSSO