Wild Series Planner: Minnesota vs St. Louis Part One

This Week's Schedule

Thursday 8:30 PM @ St. Louis Blues (NBCSN, TVA, SN360)

Saturday 2:00 PM @ St. Louis Blues (NBC, TVA, SN)

Key Player of the Week

Regardless of power play woes, Suter's role as one of the NHL's leading shutdown defensive rear guards is vitally important for a team just now discovering success against the Blues. The Wild have dominated opponents on the road in recent months. In order for them to come home with two wins or an even series in the bag, Suter will have to be at the very top of his game.

Key Opponent of the Week

Tarasenko leads the Blues with 37 goals, 73 points and a plus-27 rating, which also has him as the league's 10th-leading point scorer, 14 points back of Jamie Benn's 87 points. He's flashy, perhaps the flashiest young sniper in the division. In 179 career games with St. Louis, the Russian has 66 goals, 135 points and a plus-48 rating. He also had four goals, including two on the power play, in the Blues' 4-2 Western Conference quarterfinal loss to Chicago last year.

The Blues are going to be a tough opponent. They have decent goaltending, their ever-impressive blue line and a physically imposing forward corps, all of which make them a team that can knot up a playoff series in all out war. A guy like Tarasenko, however, can break a series open with highlight reel goals and/or a couple of game-winners if he can't be contained by the defense. That said, the former 16th overall pick will probably be spending a lot of time shadowed by Minnesota's Suter and his d-partner Jonas Brodin. Who knows, the trio might even become best friends. "People let me tell you bout my best friends..."