NHL Push for the Playoffs: Wild might have league’s best goalie tandem

Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. We’ll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what the first-round matchups might look like, see who’s leading the race for the best odds in the draft lottery and more.

It is time to start paying attention to the Minnesota Wild as a major contender in the Western Conference. And if you already were, congratulations you are ahead of the game.

The Wild have been one of the best teams in the league in recent weeks and are in a fight with the St. Louis Blues for home ice advantage in the First Round. No matter where that series starts it is going to be an awesome matchup between two of the NHL’s more exciting teams.

Minnesota took a huge step forward a year ago with the arrival of Kirill Kaprizov, immediately transforming the team into a high-powered, must-see team. He and Mats Zuccarello have become one of the best top line duos in the league and still are this season. Add in the development of Matt Boldy and Kevin Fiala and the Wild have two dominant scoring lines to go with a rock solid defense.

They also have an outstanding goalie duo thanks to the trade deadline acquisition of Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury and Cam Talbot give the Wild two legitimate starting goalie options and could be the final puzzle piece this team needs this season to potentially make a meaningful playoff run.

Fleury has looked rejuvenated since joining the Wild and getting away from the mess that was the Chicago Blackhawks and both goalies seem to be thriving on the internal competition for playing time. It remains to be seen which goalie will emerge as the primary start in the playoffs (smart money is on Fleury given his track