Border Battle: Wild and Jets to add new chapter to budding rivalry

This Stanley Cup Playoff series has the potential to be extra special. When the Jets returned to the NHL following the move of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg in 2011, the Wild became its nearest competitor.
It also renewed a rivalry between Minnesota and Winnipeg that dates back to the original NHL clubs housed in each city, the North Stars and the original Jets.
While the Wild's first-round series against the Dallas Stars stirred memories for plenty two years ago, this year's series has the potential to be the match that ignites the next chapter of this rivalry.

The Wild and Jets have historically played tight games, which is reflected in the all-time series. The two clubs have played 36 times since 2011, with each team winning 18 times. Minnesota has posted a 10-5-3 record in St. Paul while maintaining a 8-8-2 mark at Bell MTS Place.
Here's a look at how the Jets and Wild rosters stack up:

Forwards

Wild: When Minnesota is at its best, it has four forward lines all playing at a high level.
The Wild has battled injuries to key players up front all season, including extended absences by Zach Parise, Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund.
But as the end of the regular season has drawn closer, all have been playing better hockey.
Parise has been one of the best forwards in the League since the beginning of March and has just half of a season under his belt heading into the playoffs. He should have plenty of juice for an extended run.
The playoffs - and specifically an opponent like Winnipeg - should suit the games of both Coyle and Niederreiter, because of their size and skill. Granlund is playing some of his best hockey of the year as well.

None of this takes into account fantastic seasons by Eric Staal and Jason Zucker. Staal, who tallied just the second 40-goal season in franchise history, has been Minnesota's most consistent offensive player. Zucker reached 30 goals for the first time in his career and his speed should play well in this series.
Captain Mikko Koivu's game has gotten better as the season has gone on, and he has found great chemistry with Parise and Granlund late in the year.
Veteran Matt Cullen is in search of his third-straight Stanley Cup after winning each of the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His game has gone up a level as the games have become more important.
Daniel Winnik is another playoff-tested performer who knows his role and has been consistent all season.
Rookie Joel Eriksson Ek has poise beyond his years. Marcus Foligno will be playing in the playoffs for the first time in his career, something he's looked forward to since the June trade that brought him to Minnesota with Tyler Ennis, who himself hasn't played in a playoff game since 2011.
Jordan Greenway should also be in the mix for ice time after playing on the U.S. Olympic Team in February and in the NCAA Tournament in March.
Jets: For years, Winnipeg has refused to spend much in the way of future assets, building up a prospect pool that rivals any in the League. That building has culminated in the 2017-18 campaign that kept the Jets among the best teams in the Western Conference.
That made dealing a high pick in the upcoming NHL Draft to division-rival St. Louis that much more palatable.
With that pick, the Jets boosted their forward group at the NHL Trade Deadline, adding centerman Paul Stastny in a trade from the St. Louis Blues.
The Stanley Cup is often won by strength down the middle, and in adding Stastny, the Jets have one of the best pivot groups in the League.

Besides Statsny, the Jets have Mark Scheifele, the 25-year-old centerman picked seventh overall in the 2011 Draft. After posting 32 goals and 82 points in 79 games last season, Scheifele has battled injuries this year. But he's been extremely productive when he has been in the lineup, playing on a line with Jets captain Blake Wheeler.
Winnipeg also has a variety of veteran options among its bottom six centermen, including Adam Lowry, Bryan Little and Andrew Copp.
As good as the Jets are down the middle, they might be better on the wing.
Wheeler is one of the top players in the NHL, approaching 90 points for the first time in his career.
Second-year sniper Patrik Laine topped 40 goals for the first time, and plays with Stastny on the second line.
Two other youngsters -- Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers -- have established themselves on the left wing. Connor, 21, has established himself as a contender for the Calder Trophy as the League's Rookie of the Year and has as many game-winning goals as Scheifele and Wheeler combined.
Ehlers, 22, posted a second consecutive 25-plus goal season and is the forgotten member of a line with Stastny and Laine that has been extremely dangerous together.
Mathieu Perreault, Joel Armia and Brandon Tanev have been extremely effective in their bottom-six roles.

Wild vs. Jets Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round schedule

| DATE | GAME | TIME | BROADCAST | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Wednesday, April 11 | Game 1: Wild at Jets | 6 p.m. | FSN, FS GO, CNBC, KFAN 100.3 FM | | Friday, April 13 | Game 2: Wild at Jets | 6:30 p.m. | FSN, FS GO, USA, KFAN, 100.3 FM | | Sunday, April 15 | Game 3: Jets at Wild | 6 p.m. | FSN, FS GO, USA, KFAN 100.3 FM | | Tuesday, April 17 | Game 4: Jets at Wild | 7 p.m. | FSN, FS GO, CNBC, KFAN 100.3 FM | | Friday, April 20 | Game 5: Wild at Jets (if necessary) | TBD | TBD | | Sunday, April 22 | Game 6: Jets at Wild (if necessary) | TBD | TBD | | Wednesday, April 25 | Game 7: Wild at Jets (if necessary) | TBD | TBD |

Defensemen

Wild: Minnesota has traditionally been one of the deepest defensive teams in the League, a depth that has certainly been tested at times this season.
Ryan Suter will not play the rest of the season after fracturing his ankle late in the regular season. It's a huge loss for Minnesota, as his presence in all areas of the game will certainly be missed against a speedy, skilled Jets team.
Jared Spurgeon has battled injuries at two different points this season but appears primed to jump back into the lineup after overcoming both groin and hamstring injuries. His return could be critical if the Wild hopes to advance in this series.

With Suter and Spurgeon out during the stretch run, Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba were counted on to lead the back end. That experience could come in handy.
Brodin will play heavy minutes as Minnesota's top left-handed defender. Rookies Nick Seeler and Carson Soucy are each behind him. Neither Seeler nor Soucy are much of a threat offensively, but both are big, can skate and are rock solid defenders.
Spurgeon and Dumba give the Wild plenty of firepower from the back end, specifically on the power play, where there are minutes to be earned with Suter on the shelf.
Minnesota's turnaround this season began when Nate Prosser was acquired on waivers from St. Louis. A steadying presence both on the ice and in the dressing room, Prosser has been invaluable playing next to young defensemen all season long. He plays a smart, simple game, which is exactly what the Wild wants from him.
Ryan Murphy could also mix in and provides extra ability, especially offensively.
Jets: On the back end, the Jets boast perhaps the most potent group of right-handed defensemen in the League.
Jacob Trouba, just back from a concussion, headlines a group that also includes Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers, a pair of imposing physical defenders. Byfuglien, a Roseau native, stands 6-foot-5 and 260 lbs while Myers, at 6-foot-8, is 230 lbs.

All three are plus players this season, with Byfuglien and Myers boasting the most offensive upside, and Trouba capable of playing a lock down defensive style.
The Jets are a little less proven on the left side, with Josh Morrissey, Ben Chiarot and Joe Morrow manning those spots. All three complement their right-handed partners well.

Goaltenders

Wild: Devan Dubnyk went the first five years of his career without seeing the postseason, but will be making his fourth trip there since being acquired by the Wild in January of 2015.
Now with 21 games of playoff experience under his belt, Dubnyk has the temperament and the skill to help bring the Wild deep into the playoffs.
Where he's been especially tough is on home ice this season, where he's lost just six times in regulation all year.
Despite some uneven patches throughout the season, Dubnyk once again was one of the better goalies in the NHL in the category that counts most: he was among the League leaders in wins, where only one goaltender (Braden Holtby) has more than him since he was acquired by Minnesota.

Jets: It's been a breakout season for Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Another youngster at age 24, Hellebuyck is yet another example of Winnipeg's draft and develop model.
Selected 130th overall in the 2012 draft, Hellebuyck was brought along slowly. The Jets worked him in as a backup last season, with marginal results.
They signed Steve Mason to a two-year contract last summer to serve as a bridge to Hellebuyck, but the Commerce, Michigan native sped that timeline up by setting an NHL record for wins by an American-born goaltender in a single season (42).
While Mason has battled injuries and inconsistency all season, Hellebuyck has burst onto the scene, finishing among the NHL leaders in wins, goals-against average and save percentage in a season that should land him in the mix to win the Vezina Trophy as the League's top goaltender.
Related:
- Granlund, Koivu impressed with Laine's seamless integration into NHL - Spurgeon nears return from injury ahead of playoffs - First round of playoffs begins Wednesday for Wild, Jets