When Chicago comes to Xcel Energy Center on Friday for the first time this season, the Blackhawks will be missing a few pieces from the group that beat the Wild in the second round of the NHL playoffs last spring. Forwards Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad were traded over the summer, and defenseman Johnny Oduya signed with Dallas. The Hawks also will be without stalwart defenseman Duncan Keith, who is sidelined with a knee injury.
Still, the Blackhawks return to Minnesota with their core of leaders--including Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Corey Crawford and Brent Seabrook--intact. And the Wild expects the rivalry to remain as lively as ever as it begins a stretch of three games against opponents in the loaded Central Division. The 6-3-0 Hawks are just behind the 6-2-1 Wild in the standings, but they are on a roll, with victories in their past four games.
The Wild might duck hot goalie Corey Crawford, who was among NHL leaders in shutouts (two), goals-against average (1.57) and save percentage (.943) going into Thursday's game against Winnipeg. Chicago Sun-Times beat writer Mark Lazerus tweeted that Crawford will get the call against Winnipeg and that it is "safe to assume" that backup Scott Darling will face the Wild. And the Blackhawks are experiencing a power outage, going two games without scoring a goal in regulation as they recorded consecutive 1-0 overtime victories.
The Wild, though, is anticipating nothing less than the usual battle against the defending Stanley Cup champs.
"We're excited to play these guys, as always," forward Charlie Coyle said. "It should be a good battle.
"They've got good leaders over there. They're always going to be tough. They have experience, too, and I think that's the biggest thing. They know how to bring it and how to stay consistent with their game."
Wild forward Jason Pominville said it's impressive that Chicago never seems to lose a step, no matter how the roster is reconfigured. "They've lost guys, but the guys they've added are pretty good players," he said. "Last year, they added (Brad) Richards, who is a proven player. This year, they had to deal Saad, but they were able to get (Artem) Anisimov, who's a good center and the type of player who will fit in really well for them. They find ways to make adjustments and fit it in the salary cap, and they find ways to win every year."
Devan Dubnyk will start in goal for the Wild.
Beyond the rivalry, it's also an important game for the Wild in the Central Division race. Five of the NHL's top nine teams come from the Central, and coach Mike Yeo said he expected nothing less.
"It really just reaffirms what we all knew, that it's a really good division and it's going to be a dogfight right down to the end of the year," Yeo said. "Night after night, you watch the scoreboard, and you're looking at other games and you hope that teams are going to lose. But they find a way to win. So you really can't get caught up in it.
"But certainly, when you go head-to-head against these teams, it's an opportunity to gain some real valuable points, and it's an opportunity to make sure that another team isn't gaining points. Most importantly, it gives you a chance to grow your game, to make you sharp in your game. We've talked about this in the past. It's a tough division to play in. But playing teams of this caliber night after night, it gets you on top of things in a hurry."
In health news, forward Tyler Graovac (lower body injury) was on the ice for the beginning of Thursday's practice, but he soon left. Yeo said he isn't sure whether Graovac had a setback or whether he was just sore. The bottom line: Graovac won't be ready to return any time soon.
RACHEL BLOUNT
