Nobody would guess that a building housing a bunch of Ducks would be a more dangerous place than a tank filled with Sharks, but that’s exactly the case in the world of the NHL.
The Minnesota Wild starts a very tough stretch of games with seven of the next eight on the road, beginning in Anaheim tonight, and San Jose Thursday.
The Ducks are an NHL-best 11-0-2 at home this season. They are the only team in the league without a regulation home loss.
Starting the game slow is an absolute no-no, according to Wild head coach Mike Yeo.
Yeo on key tonight:"We must start the game on time tonight. We need the right battle level and must be ready to go to work."
— Anthony LaPanta (@AnthonyLaPanta) December 11, 2013
Minnesota has just five wins in 14 road games this season. It’s an ugly number, but Wild winger Matt Cooke doesn’t think it resembles the team the Wild can be.
“Personally, I think we’re built for the road,” Cooke told the Pioneer Press. “We don’t want to go out and make everything look pretty. We’re a team that’s going to go out and play responsible and take care of our own end and capitalize on our opportunities. That should suit us well on the road.”
The Wild are currently third in the Central division, two points behind St. Louis and eight points behind the Blackhawks.
“We haven’t been that good on the road, but we’ve been pretty solid at home,” Ryan Suter said, via Pro Hockey Talk. “We have to find a way to get better on the road because good teams win on the road. We’ve got to get that going.”
