Previewing Stars-Wild with Bob Sturm
As Round 1 gets going, let's chat it out with my pal Bob.
Happy Playoff season!
As we prepare for Game 1 of the NHL playoffs, particularly the series between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, it’s time to get together with my pal Bob Sturm to break it all down.
Here is the schedule:
And with that, let’s get into it.
Bob: Let’s get going with this collision course that has seemed in the cards since about Thanksgiving. The Stars and the Wild and the storylines that were our destiny since the Olympic teams were named, the big Vancouver trade went down, and maybe since Jake Middleton lined up Matt Duchene back in October. We finally made it here, Sean. We can finally play hockey in what should be a two-week adrenaline buffet.
You ready for this and all that it will decide?
Sean: Absolutely Bob.
We’ve had a feeling for months that it would be Stars-Wild in Round 1, courtesy of the Colorado Avalanche’s ridiculous start to the season where they ran away from the pack in the Central Division for a while. So much so that it’s felt like an old-school prize fight to me, two opponents that are tuning up and know that in the end, how they do in the ring on that one day (or series) will determine it all.
These teams know each other so well, from both this season and past playoff battles. As much as I hate that this is Round 1 and neither of these teams should be eliminated after four to seven games, I’m so excited for the hockey perspective of this series.
Bob: Ok, I think the best place to start is the state of the Stars. They have been so good over these years, but I do think that health concerns are becoming tiresome. The team can never get this right in the spring with everyone healthy. I would not say they are injury prone at all, but they are such a different team with everyone assembled – even if it sometimes doesn’t stay assembled for any long period of time, it seems. What do you know about the state of each team’s health and I suppose in particular, that means how is Roope and Miro for Dallas? Are we going to see the full compliment for most of this series, as far as anyone could predict?
