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Wild call up some muscle ahead of Game 3.
Keystone Press.

Wild call up some muscle ahead of Game 3.

Minnesota looking to send a message?

HockeyFeed

HockeyFeed

The Minnesota Wild have called up some muscle, and many believe it's a response to the play of Dallas Stars' agitator Antoine Roussel.

On Monday the Wild made the decision to call up 22 year old bruiser Kurtis Gabriel, who has just three National Hockey League games under his belt, and no playoff experience to speak of. It's a strange decision by the team, but Wild insider Mike Russo believes this may be a response to the aforementioned Roussel.

From Mike Russo:

For the Wild, judging from the morning skate, Kurtis Gabriel will make his NHL playoff debut on the right side of a line with Chris Porter and Zac Dalpe That would mean Jarret Stoll and Ryan Carter won’t play. It didn’t look like defenseman Mike Reilly would make his playoff debut, which surprises me.

Also, very surprising decision if Gabriel plays and seems like an overreaction to a small problem (Antoine Roussel) if Gabriel’s not going to play a regular shift against a fast, skills Stars team and Carter would.

The reaction to the move from the other player's on the roster seems to be very positive, and it will be interesting to see if the Wild perform better against a Dallas Stars' squad that will be without Tyler Seguin.

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