Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Sizzling Blues try to add to Wild misery
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

While the St. Louis Blues continue to play well, the Minnesota Wild are mired in their longest losing streak in eight seasons.

Eying a fourth straight road victory, the Blues try to hand the Wild their eight consecutive defeat on Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Since opening the season at 3-4-1, St. Louis has won eight of 12. On Sunday, Pavel Buchnevich had a goal with two assists, Jake Neighbours scored twice and Robert Thomas added two more assists as the Blues won their season-high third straight road contest, 4-2 at Chicago.

"We want to play this way. ... We tightened it up," Blues coach Craig Berube said of Sunday's performance after his team allowed 13 goals in splitting the previous two games.

St. Louis has totaled 16 goals while winning three of its past four contests. The Blues have scored 13 times over the past three games on the road.

"I thought we did a good job (Sunday) of supporting each other," said Neighbours, who has recorded six of his eight points during the past five games.

"If you're in the right spot at the right times you're going to get looks. I think it's important to stay with the structure."

Buchnevich has seven goals with six assists in his past nine games. He's posted nine goals with six assists in 13 career games against the Wild.

Meanwhile, St. Louis' Jordan Binnington stopped 32 of 34 shots on Sunday after he allowed 14 goals in his previous three appearances. Binnington, though, owns a 5.21 goals-against average during his past three regular-season appearances versus Minnesota.

The Blues lost three of four against the Wild last season. However, Minnesota has just five wins in 19 games this season, and been outscored 28-13 during its current 0-5-2 rut - the franchise's longest winless streak since an 0-6-2 slide from 2015-16.

"Seven in a row? That's ... unacceptable," said Minnesota's Pat Maroon, who has failed to register a point in seven consecutive games.

The Wild registered 38 shots on goal during Sunday's 4-1 loss at Detroit, but was held to two or fewer goals for the fifth time in the past seven contests.

"We had lots of chances, but we're still losing, so we gotta find a way to win," Wild coach Dean Evason said.

Minnesota's Joel Eriksson Ek scored in his second straight game Sunday, and Mats Zuccarello earned an assist on that goal to extend his point streak to six games. Eriksson Ek had a goal with two assists during Minnesota's 8-5 win at St. Louis in the teams' most recent meeting March 15.

The Wild's Filip Gustavsson (3.94 goals-against average) stopped 19 of 22 shots at Detroit in losing his fourth straight start. Meanwhile, teammate Marc-Andre Fleury, who, in addition to being embroiled in a mask controversy, has allowed 12 goals in his past two outings, and lost his past two starts.

Coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 40 goals, Wild star Kirill Kaprizov has just six in 19 games. He's also been held without a point in his past three games versus St. Louis.

- Field Level Media

This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

TODAY'S BEST

Maple Leafs continue to play moneyball: Three big names in play
NHL

Maple Leafs continue to play moneyball: Three big names in play

With Mitch Marner’s move to the Vegas Golden Knights closing a major chapter in Toronto, GM Brad Treliving made a series of moves to replace his production. He might not be done. Three may be even bolder moves on the horizon. We’ve heard the names Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf before. However, the Maple Leafs are actively fielding and exploring trade scenarios as they look to reshape their roster — and according to Nick Kypreos, a handful of intriguing names are emerging in trade chatter: Morgan Rielly, Brandon Carlo, and former Leafs fan-favorite Nazem Kadri. The most surprising name still generating buzz is Rielly. Despite being a longtime cornerstone on Toronto’s blue line, his $7.5 million cap hit and no-move clause complicate matters. Yet with the team needing help up front, and possible interest in offensive defensemen like Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson, Rielly could become part of a larger plan if he’s open to waiving. Also surprising is the talk surrounding Carlo. A recent addition to the Leafs’ defense corps, he is already being talked about behind the scenes as a potential trade piece. If he were made available, there is interest around the league, as the 6-foot-6 shutdown defender has a team-friendly cap hit and strong penalty-killing ability. Trading Carlo could get the Leafs a top-six forward. Finally, reports on the availability of Kadri remain conflicting. Some say he’s not available, while others suggest that the Calgary Flames would consider the idea. The former Maple Leaf would be a welcome addition back to Toronto, but there isn’t much of a reason for the Flames to trade him unless the return is outstanding. Kadri reportedly would consider waiving his no-move clause for a reunion. That said, getting a deal done won’t be easy, especially with Montreal also rumored to be on his short list. Whether any of these deals come to pass or are just pure speculation, one thing’s sure: the Maple Leafs aren’t standing still. Treliving is trying to get his roster to score more goals. He seems willing to entertain any idea and play Moneyball with the roster if it will help.

Phillies’ 1.83 ERA starter drawing trade interest ahead of deadline
MLB

Phillies’ 1.83 ERA starter drawing trade interest ahead of deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Not only do they have a great front five, but there goes, potentially, eight pitchers deep with MLB talent. Unsurprisingly, with such a surplus of talent, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in their starters. Ranger Suarez, whose contract expires at the end of the year, would be a typical trade deadline candidate. But he's going nowhere. Instead, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in Phillies right-handed prospect Mick Abel. The 23-year-old starter could be a trade chip if the Phillies find a suitable trade target. "... Same goes for Mick Abel," Gelb writes, "who is drawing trade interest." The Phillies right-hander has impressed in his brief Major League stint, even if he now sits at a 5.04 ERA in six starts. His ceiling, which he displayed in his MLB debut, is enough to captivate teams around baseball. In the minors, Abel has been dominant this season. He has a 1.83 ERA in 12 starts in Triple-A, a significant improvement over his 6.46 ERA in 2024. Abel's progress this season has been incredible, and has teams interested in trading for him. If the Phillies find a trade partner for an outfielder or a dominant reliever, Abel could be a centerpiece of a deal to land such a player at the deadline. With the crowded rotation, Abel might not have a starting role on the roster for the rest of the season. He could go to the bullpen for the postseason run or be dealt to land a high-profile reliever or outfielder. But, regardless of what the Phillies do with Abel, this report from Gelb is a good sign. If teams around baseball are interested in Abel, then his progress isn't just a facade; it's something teams are willing to buy in on.

Rafael Devers had telling comment about playing first base
MLB

Rafael Devers had telling comment about playing first base

Rafael Devers played first base for the San Francisco Giants for the first time on Tuesday, and his quote about playing the field likely will not sit well with Boston Red Sox fans. Devers said after Tuesday’s game that he prefers playing in the field as opposed to serving as a designated hitter. “It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said, via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.” Devers, of course, refused to play first base for the Red Sox after they asked him to. He felt disrespected after they moved him off third base to accommodate Alex Bregman, and thought the team went back on its word by later asking him to play first. To Red Sox fans, if Devers is best playing in the field and playing first would have helped the team, it will be baffling why he did not just do it when that would seemingly have been a preferable outcome for all involved. Devers went 2-for-5 in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, driving in a run in his first appearance at first base. It remains unclear how frequently the Giants plan to use him at the position, but the team might take note of these comments.

Commanders' Jayden Daniels discusses Terry McLaurin's holdout amid contract dispute
NFL

Commanders' Jayden Daniels discusses Terry McLaurin's holdout amid contract dispute

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin reportedly wants "to bring a deal together" with his current employer regarding a contract extension. Still, he nevertheless elected to stay away from the team during the start of training camp practices this week. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels was understandably asked about McLaurin's absence. "I would talk to Terry like if he was here, just checking up on him, at the end of the day, that's just a relationship that we have on and off the field," Daniels said, Newsweek's Justin Grasso shared. "This is just business in the NFL. You know, we know Terry's working. We don't really have to worry about him doing any of that, but at the end of the day, he's still one of our brothers." After the Commanders made Daniels the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, McLaurin became the favorite target of the signal-caller, who ultimately earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors. According to ESPN stats, McLaurin finished the 2024 season with team highs of 82 receptions, 117 targets and 1,096 receiving yards. He was also second in the entire league with 13 touchdown catches. Per ESPN's John Keim, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn insisted on Wednesday that the McLaurin situation is simply "part of the business of our league." McLaurin is in the final year of his current contract, and NFL reporter Henry McKenna of Fox Sports suggested earlier in the week that the 29-year-old could "be interested in working out something similar" to the five-year, $150M deal that the Pittsburgh Steelers handed wide receiver DK Metcalf in March. "It helps out a lot [we worked together last year]," Daniels added about McLaurin. "If this was last year, probably different because we didn't know each other. Now, we have a whole year under our belt, and just the relationship we built on and off the field. We don't really have egos when it comes to our relationship with each other, so it's going to be seamless. I know Terry's working, though. ...Whenever the time comes and he's back out on the field, I don't think we'll miss a beat." As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Commanders team, which lost this year's NFC Championship Game, sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX. Such information suggests that now may not be the best time for Washington to be stingy, regardless of McLaurin's contract requests.