Wild Return From Holiday Break In Dallas – Wilderness Walk

That’s Wild

The Minnesota Wild have returned from their holiday break. We get to come down from the highs of the holiday spirit and watch what should be an important hockey game between bitter rivals.

In Dallas, facing the Stars, the Wild will be playing their first game back since returning from the holiday break. And while they did manage to leave on a high note by beating the Blackhawks, it doesn’t erase the fact that before, this team was on a downward trajectory. And now, with perfect timing, they get to face their rival who are just sitting uber calm below them in the standings but ready to strike at any point. This could certainly be a first-round matchup come the spring and we might be feeling the heat.

• A breakdown of the four Wild prospects in Ottawa playing at the 2025 World Juniors. [NHL.com]
• In the first game of Team USA’s tournament, Zeev Buium played a whole lot of minutes but came up with zero points in a 10-4 victory over Germany. [NHL.com]
• How did the Wild acquiring David Jiricek change the shape of the team’s Under-24 group? [Hockey Wilderness]

Off the trail…

• The day after Christmas, the Detroit Red Wings have fired head coach Derek Lalonde and have replaced him with veteran bench boss Todd McLellan. [Sportsnet]
• Sidney Crosby has now tied Mario Lemieux for most assists from a Pittsburgh Penguin. He would never have imagined it in his life. [TheScore]

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