Minnesota Wild Face Blackhawks First
2013 Stanley Cup Playoff Team – Minnesota Wild
Halfway through the 2013 NHL season, the Minnesota Wild were poised to capture their first Northwest Division title and earn a top three seed in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, a second half tailspin knocked the Minnesota Wild out of the division lead (making room for the eventual winner Vancouver Canucks) and almost saw them miss the 2013 NHL Playoffs entirely. A solid performance in the last week allowed Minnesota to qualify for the postseason, but when it was all said and done they had fallen all the way to the No. 8 seed. That meant being paired in the NHL playoffs’ first round against the President’s Trophy winner, the Chicago Blackhawks.
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It would seem obvious that no team would want to draw the Hawks, given their young talent, Stanley Cup winning pedigree, and quality depth. The Minnesota Wild, however, did prove this season that they weren’t particularly intimidated by the Blackhawks despite Chicago’s first half points streak. In three regular season meetings, the Wild, led by offseason acquisitions Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, went 1-2 against Chicago, winning one game in a shootout and losing their season finale in a tight 1-0 contest. Two of the first three 2013 NHL Playoff games in this series have already gone to overtime with the teams splitting those extra-time contests. Game 2 was a total domination for the Blackhawks, so it is left to be seen which result is the exception. Minnesota prides itself as being the center of USA Hockey, so this team and its fans will continue fighting regardless of how lopsided some may expect the series to be.
Minnesota Wild NHL Playoff Tickets
Minnesota Wild Stanley Cup Playoff Opponent
The Wild lost both games at Chicago’s United Center, but they’ve already shown how the home crowd gives them extra energy during a Game 3 meeting at Xcel Energy Center. If they hope to win this series, they’ll likely need to win all three games they host.
| Date | Game | Winner | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/30/2013 | 1 | Hawks | 2-1 (OT) | United Center |
| 5/3/2013 | 2 | Hawks | 5-2 | United Center |
| 5/5/2013 | 3 | Wild | 3-2 (OT) | Xcel Energy Center |
| 5/7/2013 | 4 | Xcel Energy Center | ||
| 5/9/2013 | 5 | United Center | ||
| 5/11/2013 | 6 (if needed) | Xcel Energy Center | ||
| 5/12/2013 | 7 (if needed) | United Center |
