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The Minnesota Wild remain bitten by injuries to key players, but help is on the way.
Veteran defenseman Jake Middleton could return to the ice when the Wild host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn. The Wild are looking for their fourth win in a row, and the Blues hope to bounce back from a loss as they close out a two-game road trip.
Middleton, 29, would be a welcome addition to the Wild's blue line. He has not played since Dec. 12, when he was drilled on the hand by an opponent's shot.
Before his injury, Middleton had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) and a plus-22 rating in 29 games.
"‘Midsy' is a good-skating, big, strong defenseman," Wild coach John Hynes said. "Defends well. He's bringing an offensive component to our team. I think he's using his skating to be able to join the rush and be a fourth attacker at the right times. I think he's doing a nice job at the offensive blue line shooting, finding lanes, when to be involved in the play.
"He's been solid defensively in the hard areas of the ice, but then his game continues to grow in understanding when and how to join the play out of a breakout, be part of the line rush, be productive in the offensive zone. Those things are all progressing for him, and that's why he was going really well before he got hurt."
The Blues also are a bit short-handed as defenseman Justin Faulk and center Radek Faksa sat out the team's most recent game because of injuries. Faulk is dealing with an upper-body injury while Faksa has a lower-body injury.
Jordan Kyrou leads St. Louis with 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 41 games. Robert Thomas is next with 30 points (eight, 22) in 29 games, and Dylan Holloway has 29 points (14, 15) in 41 games.
Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said he and his teammates needed to stay focused as they headed to Minnesota.
"Keep it simple," Parayko said. "Nothing crazy, I don't think. Just playing our game and playing simple. When we're playing our game, we play fast, we move the puck fast, we're skating and supporting. Just little things like that. When we do that for 60 minutes -- I think that's the biggest thing is just being consistent for 60 minutes -- we'll be good."
Minnesota remains without top scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who has not yet returned to skating after sustaining a lower-body injury last month. Second-leading scorer Marco Rossi has stepped up in Kaprizov's absence, recording four assists in his most recent game.
Rossi has 37 points (15, 22) in 40 games on the season. Matt Boldy has added 34 points (14, 20) in 40 games.
The Wild could start Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury in net. Gustavsson is 18-6-3 with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage, and Fleury is 7-3-1 with a 2.81 GAA and an .898 save percentage.
Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington is 11-14-3 with a 2.79 GAA and an .899 save percentage. Backup Joel Hofer is 8-4-1 with a 2.92 GAA and a .901 save percentage.
More must-reads:
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Jack Roslovic's waiting game may have cost him potential contract offer
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Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
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Giants have firm stance on possible Jameis Winston trade
The New York Giants have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL, and there has been speculation that Jameis Winston could be the odd man out when the regular season begins. It does not sound like Winston is going anywhere, however. Russell Wilson is expected to be the Giants' starting quarterback in Week 1. The big question is whether Jaxson Dart or Winston will enter the year as Wilson's primary backup. Dart has played well through two preseason games, and Brian Daboll and his coaching staff have raved about the former Ole Miss star. Some have wondered if the Giants could entertain trade offers for Winston should they decide they view Dart as their No. 2 quarterback. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown was asked about that on Tuesday, and he all but ruled it out. "I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant. The way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional of the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul," Brown said. "Teammates love him. His preparation process, whether it's the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible studies, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together — not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole. "He's been comic relief, but he's also been a really good example of how to be a pro and handle your business in terms of prehab, rehab and postgame care. So, I'm happy he's here, and he's gonna continue to do those things. He hasn't wavered, and he hasn't been shaken by any distractions at all." Winston signed a two-year, $8M contract with the Giants in free agency this offseason. The deal could climb as high as $16M with incentives, but he would need to play quite a bit to hit those. The Giants value Winston's extensive experience, just as they value Dart's upside. There is a reason they signed both Wilson and Winston and traded up to draft Dart. They believe in all three players, and they likely will not be inclined to trade Winston unless they receive an excellent offer.
MLB sends message by suspending Victor Robles for bat-throwing incident
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