Article: Wild Possibly Going With Different Lineup For Game 5

[Thomas Williams]

View full article

[M_Nels]

As much as I want to see Zeev in there this is probably the right move honestly. Had high hopes for him to be a gamer but the moment is too big for him right now. REALLY makes you appreciate how good Faber was right out of the gate.

[MNCountryLife]

Losing Ek would be extremely bad.  Ek has been a big part of shutting down the Eichel line.  

Let's hope we see some inspired hockey by Merrill.   

[Citizen Strife]

Buium has had some flashes, but that's all they are.  The Wild need more consistency at keeping Vegas out of the zone for 60-70% of the game...

[Beast]

Changing out a 3rd paring defenseman is pretty inconsequential right now.  The part I don’t like is taking Zeev off of the power play.  I’m sure Vegas is shaking in their boots at the thought of Merrill.

Honestly, I’d like to say do whatever gives you the best chance to win the series, but I think they blew that opportunity in OT the other night. The odds of them beating Vegas in 2 of 3 while Vegas has home ice isn’t happening.  It’s much more likely they end up losing in 6 than pull this one out.  So, I’d like to see Buium get some more ice time and playoff experience.

They did a similar thing with Rossi.  Call him up, throw him on the 3rd/4th line with no good linemates, then claim he’s not ready when he doesn’t put up a point per game.  Just turn Zeev loose with someone like Spurgeon or Brodin.  That might spark something and turn the series back in their favor.  Take a risk and try something with some upside.  Going back to Merrill isn’t going to accomplish anything.

Why not sit one of these forwards that are doing nothing and roll with 7 D to keep Zeev’s offensive upside in the lineup?  You’re already playing Kirill, Ek, and Boldy a thousand minutes a night.

Very uninspiring.  I feel a butt kicking coming tonight.

[Scalptrash]

Just like death and taxes, Ek is injured in the playoffs again. Great player, but too injury prone to be dependable when needed most. The same could be said for Kaprizov, who I believe, is still not 100%. They are both very delicate.

[SkolWild73]

26 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

Just like death and taxes, Ek is injured in the playoffs again. Great player, but too injury prone to be dependable when needed most. The same could be said for Kaprizov, who I believe, is still not 100%. They are both very delicate.

I have not heard that Ek is injured.  Hynes said yesterday that it was a maintenance day and that he would play today.  Did something change?

[hydguy75]

EEK is in the starting lineup for tonight.  I had heard also he was injured, but shift chart shows he was on the ice in the OT goal.  It was probably that FB group MN Hockey Fan HQ that mostly has over the top sensationalized feeds at best, and complete inaccurate statements beyond that.  

[Willy the poor boy]

4 hours ago, Scalptrash said:

Just like death and taxes, Ek is injured in the playoffs again. Great player, but too injury prone to be dependable when needed most. The same could be said for Kaprizov, who I believe, is still not 100%. They are both very delicate.

He's really not injury prone. His injuries stem from blocking shots, and he's good at it.

[Enforceror]

32 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

He's really not injury prone. His injuries stem from blocking shots, and he's good at it.

Not to mention HOW he plays. If he approached the game like Mojo, he would probably get hurt a lot less.