There are four games on Wednesday’s NHL schedule, including two Canadian teams in action and one Eastern Conference rivalry. Here are a few things we’re watching for.
Leafs in for a Wild one
The Toronto Maple Leafs should be well-rested going into Wednesday night’s game, having not played since Saturday’s rematch against the Vancouver Canucks. They’ll need to be at their best when they host the Minnesota Wild, who are on a roll lately.
The Wild have earned at least one point in six of their last seven games, going 3-1-3 and outscoring opponents 22-17 in that time. They currently sit in eighth place in the Western Conference.
The Wild have found some scoring success this season but the real story in Minnesota is the play of goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who is set to make his 300th career NHL start Wednesday night.
Dubnyk currently sits atop the leader board in just about every goalie category: goals against average (1.63), save percentage (.946) and shutouts (4).
In other words, the Maple Leafs will have their hands full trying to get the puck past him.
They’ll need to stick to the script when it comes to their offence-heavy, high-shooting ways. The young club currently ranks third in shots per game (32.6) and is tied for fifth in goals per game.
The Leafs lost their last two games (they earned a point for pushing Wednesday’s matchup to a shootout) and will look to avoid three straight Ls.
“We’ve made it very clear over the last day and a half how we’re going to have to play to have success,” head coach Mike Babcock said before the game.
“When we played them the first time, I thought they were more of a ‘rush’ type team, and they’ve played heavier here of late … they’ve got three [lines] you’ve really got to look at, but I think we do too.”
The last time these two clubs met was Oct. 20, with the Wild winning 3-2.
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Eastern rivalry matchup
Wednesday night’s battle between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals is all about momentum.
Both clubs are coming off exciting overtime victories Monday night, with Boston topping the Panthers and Washington defeating the Sabres.
The Bruins head into Wednesday’s game with three straight wins, while the Capitals just snapped a three-game losing skid and are looking to get back on track.
The two clubs have very similar numbers in terms of their record on the season so far: Boston is 15-10-1, Washington is 14-7-3, and both teams have 31 points.
The Bruins will have a little something extra to prove as they try to reverse a losing trend against the Capitals that dates back to 2014. The club has lost six straight games against Washington, going 0-5-1 in that time.
If the Bruins are to come out on top, they’ll have to have a stellar performance from goalie Tuukka Rask. Rask has been strong this season, leading the NHL in wins (14) and sitting second in goals against average (1.68) and shutouts (3).
