GAME DAY REPORT: Veteran player left in the stand as key player is back!

Veteran player left in the stand as key player is back! 

With only two games remaining on the schedule, including tonight’s contest against the lowly Colorado Avalanche, it looks as though the Minnesota Wild will opt to play their star players rather than sit them out to rest in advance of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

Michael Russo of the Star Tribune confirmed that head coach Bruce Boudreau will start Devan Dubnyk in goal tonight and dress Ryan Suter on the team’s backend. Also of note however, is the fact that both Jared Spurgeon and Chris Stewart will watch tonight’s game from the press box.

It’s a puzzling decision for the Wild who will have to rely on both Dubnyk and Suter if they’re to be successful this postseason. Dubnyk has already started 64 of his team’s 80 games this season and could likely use the rest to ensure that he’s in top shape for next week’s action. As for Suter, the veteran defenceman ranks amongst the NHL’s leaders in average time-on-ice per game. With an average of 26:59 of ice time a night, only Drew Doughty and Dustin Byfuglien have played more minutes than Suter this season.

Regardless of who the Wild draw in their opening-round matchup next week, they better hope for their own sake that Dubnyk and Suter are ready, willing and able to go. If not, this decision by their head coach could come back to haunt them.