After comeback stunners against the Senators and Penguins and two clean wins against the Islanders and Coyotes, the Minnesota Wild are sitting at the top of the Central Division. Their 9-3 record and 18 accompanying points put them one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues for now. Looking at the league standings, the Wild are in fourth place. The Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers take the first three places respectively. In seasons past, the Wild are usually vying for a wild card position. Although a lot can happen between now and the play-offs, it’s a pleasant surprise to see the Wild not only at the top of the division, but also making waves in the league standings.
As a brief reminder, the NHL standings are racked and stacked based on the number of points each team has. Each team earns two points for a win, one point for an overtime loss, and zero points for a loss in regulation time.
The Big Competitors
While the Wild may be at the top of the division for now, a lot can change with so much of the season left to play. The Wild have some serious competitors for the top position since no teams have completely broken away from the pack – at least in a positive way. The St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, and Nashville Predators are all trailing Minnesota, but not by much. These teams will most likely be the biggest challenge for the Wild this season.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues are second in the division with 17 points, but have played one less game than the Wild. They are 8-2-1 so far with their most recent win coming from a shootout with the Jets. Jordan Binnington played an excellent game in net with 39 saves and a .951 save percentage. His performance not only helped the Blues subdue the Jets, it also earned him some attention by the Canadian Olympic Team General Manager.
Leading the offensive charge for the Blues are Jordan Kyrou, David Perron, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Kyrou has 12 points coming from nine assists and three goals; Perron has 11 points coming from five assists and six goals, and Tarasenko also has 11 points coming from seven assists and four goals. These three players and Binnington have certainly made their mark on the goal differential for the team. The Blues have the best goal differential in the division at +13. That differential also puts them fifth in the league in that respect. Although the Wild has a slightly better record than the Blues, the Blues and their dominating offense pose a serious threat.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are third in the division with 15 points. Their record is 6-3-3 with the three overtime defeats coming from the Wild, Stars, and Blues. Typically Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele are some of the Jets’ top scorers. Both players have three assists, but have yet to score this season.
Wheeler’s most notable point so far this season, was his assist to Kyle Connor which was his 700th point for the Jets. (You may remember Kyle Connor from the Wild’s home opener when his leisurely skating resulted in an offsides call which overturned an important goal.) Besides that blunder, Kyle Connor is having an outstanding start to the season. He’s leading the team in scoring right now with nine goals and eight assists in 12 games for a total of 17 points. Seventeen points puts him at fourth in the league following NHL stars McDavid, Ovechkin, and Draisaitl. Kyle Connor is certainly a player to watch this season.
We saw how much of a competitor the Jets can be at the Wild’s home opener last month. That game rekindled a long-held rivalry, so some competitive, physical games are definitely on the docket for the Wild and Jets. Kyle Connor also poses an offensive threat and may be a thorn in the Wild’s side.
Nashville Predators
The Predators are in fourth place with a record of 7-5-1. They have the same number of points as the Jets, but have a slightly lower goal differential which drops them in at fourth. Roman Josi, Matt Duchene, and former Wild player Mikael Granlund have the most points on the team.
The Predators are facing their first injury challenge. Left wing Filip Forsberg is out with an upper-body injury and is being assessed week-to-week. Forsberg is on an offensive line with Duchene and Granlund. The Predators will have to find someone else to fill that spot with two of the top scorers.
The first loss of the season for the Wild resulted from an outstanding performance by the Predators. Their 5-2 win was marked by outstanding performances all-around. Connor Ingram made 33 saves on 35 shots in his rookie debut; Ryan Johansen scored two early goals; Roman Josi scored a goal and got three assists, and Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund each scored a goal.
The Bottom Four
The Stars, Avalanche, and Blackhawks are all off to a rocky start. All three teams have four or less wins so far this season. It’s surprising to see the Avalanche and Blackhawks near the bottom of the totem pole when they usually are such big competitors to the Wild. There’s still plenty of games left in the season for these teams to make improvements and get some more wins.
Needless to say the Arizona Coyotes are anything, but a threat to the Wild. Both their record and recent 2-5 loss to the Wild last night prove that point. If you want to know more about how bad it’s going to Arizona see Patrick’s article.
Wrap-Up
With much of the season left to play, there’s plenty of time for each team to make improvements. So far it’s an exciting start to the season with some of the usual suspects, but also some more surprising performers. The Wild have their work cut out for them. These teams in the Central Division also have great talent. The Wild will have to rely on their depth to continue to fight back against teams with such great offenses and goal keeping.
This is the best sports team of all the sports teams.