Minnesota Wild vs. Florida Panthers Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 22nd 2024
Preview and Prediction
The NHL schedule-makers have presented the Minnesota Wild with a difficult task.
Following a 1-0-1 record at home to kick off the season, the Wild embarked on a challenging seven-game road trip that will continue on Tuesday night with a matchup against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, in Sunrise, Florida.
Thus far, the Wild have achieved a 2-0-1 record on the trip, including a 3-1 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
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Minnesota, who have earned at least one point in all five of their games this season, managed to keep Columbus scoreless until allowing a goal with only 1:25 left on the clock.
The Wild are only the fifth team in NHL history to not trail in regulation at any point in their first five games.
"It's simply because we've outworked the teams we've faced," stated goaltender Filip Gustavsson, a 26-year-old from Sweden.
Gustavsson boasts a 3-0-1 record with a .950 save percentage and a 1.49 goals-against average.
"As a team, we've played solid defensive hockey," Gustavsson added. "We have trust in each other on the ice, and everyone is doing their part. It has made me feel comfortable."
Minnesota defenseman Jake Middleton put it another way.
"We're a group of scrappy underdogs," Middleton declared. "That's our mentality."
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The Wild are also on the mend after two forwards returned from injury on Saturday: Marcus Johansson (lower body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose), who played with a face shield.
Forward Ryan Hartman (upper body) could potentially return on Tuesday. He participated in practice on Saturday and was a game-time decision before ultimately sitting out. He also skated in practice on Monday.
The Wild's leading scorer is star forward Kirill Kaprizov, who has tallied eight points (two goals and six assists).
The Panthers are led by Sam Reinhart, who has recorded five goals and seven assists. His 12 points are currently tied for the NHL lead.
Reinhart, who will turn 29 next month, is coming off a career year in which he finished second in the league with 57 goals. He played in all 82 games last season, achieving a career-high of 94 points.
He also leads the NHL with two short-handed goals. On Monday, the NHL named Reinhart its First Star of the Week after he produced four goals and five assists in four games.
Minnesota's Gustavsson was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week.
Reinhart's teammates have praised not only his goal-scoring abilities but also his overall skills and defensive efforts.
"You don't realize the small aspects of his game that he excels at until you are on the ice with him every day," stated Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt. "You know he can score. You know he makes plays.
"But it's the defensive part of his game that stands out. He plays tough minutes against challenging matchups."
Florida is currently dealing with the absence of star forwards Aleksander Barkov (leg) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness), who have each missed five consecutive games.
Panthers starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has performed well with a 3-1-1 record, an .896 save percentage, and a 2.95 goals-against average in five starts.
Minnesota Wild vs. Florida Panthers
Rookie defenseman Carson Soucy scored the go-ahead goal, and Kaapo Kahkonen won a battle between newcomer goalies as the Minnesota Wild defeated the host Florida Panthers 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Minnesota, which overcame a 2-0 second-period deficit to win its fourth straight game, also got goals from Jason Zucker, Mats Zuccarello and Luke Kunin (empty-netter). Zucker also had an assist, and Zuccarello has 24 points in 22 career games against the Panthers.
It was the second career goal for Soucy, who gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead with 15:11 left in the third period.
Kahkonen, who is 2-0-0 in two NHL starts, made 44 saves as Minnesota improved to 9-2-3 in its past 14 games.
Panthers goalie Chris Driedger, who also made his second career start, had 21 saves. His record is 1-1-0.
Florida got goals from Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Huberdeau also had an assist.
The Panthers led 2-0 after a first period that they dominated with a 13-5 shots-on-goal advantage.
Florida opened the scoring with 9:54 expired in the first period, snapping a 1-for-19 power-play slump. After a delay-of-game penalty on Minnesota's Jordan Greenway for firing the puck over the glass, Barkov took a pass from Keith Yandle and let loose from the left circle. His shot went in just under the crossbar.
The Panthers made it 2-0 just 23 seconds after killing off Frank Vatrano's tripping penalty. Once out of the box, Vatrano and Panthers teammate Vincent Trocheck forced a turnover along the back boards. Vatrano then fed the puck to Huberdeau, who cashed in with a shot just under the crossbar, nearly identical to Barkov's goal.
Minnesota, however, tied the score 2-2 on consecutive shots in the second period.
Zucker got the Wild on the board by stealing the puck from Mike Hoffman and then scoring at full speed with a brilliant forehand-to-backhand move 9:26 into the second.
With 12:56 expired, Zuccarello hustled after the puck at the right circle before unleashing a high shot to the short side, lifting the puck over Driedger's glove.
Minnesota took a 3-2 lead when Soucy gloved down a pass from Zach Parise and then batted a backhander through the five-hole.
Kunin's empty-netter with 61 seconds left crushed Florida's comeback hopes.