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 Charlie Coyle netted a pair of goals in the first encounter this
season and tallied in each of his last two as the Wild skated to a
5-4 triumph over Chicago on Friday for their fourth win in five
outings. St. Louis has also been ascending in the ultra-competitive
Central, as it has won its second straight contest and improved to
6-1-1 in its last eight with a 2-1 victory over reeling Anaheim on
Thursday. Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored versus the Ducks, netted
six six goals in the playoff series against the Wild and joined Alex
Steen with a goal and an assist in the first meeting between the
clubs earlier in the month. Tarasenko was nursing a bit of limp on
Friday, but coach Ken Hitchcock said the Russian is "ready to go"
versus Minnesota.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE WILD (7-2-1): Nino Niederreiter scored the go-ahead goal
early in the third period on Friday for his fifth point (three
goals, two assists) in his last six contests. Captain Mikko Koivu
set up three goals versus the Blackhawks to extend his point streak
to eight games, during which he has tallied three times and had
seven assists. Defenseman Ryan Suter set up a pair of goals in the
first meeting with St. Louis and has two tallies and one assist in
his last two games.
ABOUT THE BLUES (7-2-1): After netting the game-winning goal on
Thursday, defenseman Colton Parayko (undisclosed) is expected to be
a game-time decision versus Minnesota. "We'll see where he's at (on
Saturday)," Hitchcock said of the 23-year-old who leads all
blue-liners in goals with four. "... He just fell on the ice. We'll
see where he's at (on Saturday)." Jake Allen has yielded one goal on
49 shots in the past two games and has been confirmed to make his
third straight start.
[to top of second column] |
OVERTIME
1. St. Louis has failed on its last 16 power-play opportunities
spanning the last four games.
2. Minnesota has scored with the man advantage in each of its last
three contests.
3. Blues captain David Backes has been held off the scoresheet in
four straight games and has just two assists this season.
PREDICTION: Blues 2, Wild 1
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