The Minnesota Wild played their first outdoor game in franchise history Sunday, and they certainly disappoint the 50,426 fans that packed TCF Bank Stadium, beating the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks 6-1.
Here are some of the best photos from Sunday's action:
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The self-proclaimed "State of Hockey" lived up to its billing on Sunday.
Hosting their first outdoor game in franchise history, the Minnesota Wild dominated their division rival, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 in front of a near-sellout crowd at TCF Bank Stadium.
#mnwild loves outdoor hockey! Minnesota wins the #StadiumSeries, 6-1! #CHIvsMIN #StateOfHockey pic.twitter.com/dtU2ShlDl2
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 21, 2016
Matt Dumba opened the scoring just three minutes into the first and four different goal-scorers followed as Thomas Vanek, Nino Niederreiter, Jason Pominville, and Minnesota native Ryan Carter all found the back of the net.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Erik Haula, meanwhile, was awarded the team's sixth goal after being taken down while the Blackhawks net was empty. After being named the game's first star, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher threw his stick into the stands toward some young fans.
Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves to pick up his third straight win, only being beat by Patrick Kane's 35th goal of the season. The Blackhawks winger now has a league-leading 84 points.
Pominville and Haula led the Wild with three points each, tying them with seven other players for the most points ever scored in an outdoor game. Carter and Niederreiter both added assists to finish with multi-point games as well.
The Blackhawks now hold a 1-3-0 record in outdoor games, with their lone win coming in 2014 when they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field, beating them 5-1.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Since locking up defenseman Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year extension, all eyes have been on the Winnipeg Jets to see if captain Andrew Ladd will be moved ahead of the Feb. 29 trade deadline, and it appears general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is already busy on the phones.
The Jets are believed to have received an offer of a first-round pick plus a prospect, TSN's Gary Lawless reports.
Six teams currently in playoff position - the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals - are believed to be interested in the 30-year-old's services, according to Lawless.
Related: 3 teams that can use Andrew Ladd
The report also cites an NHL executive who says the Jets may get more than a pick and a prospect with so much league-wide interest in the 11-year veteran.
Ladd has 33 points in 58 games this season, and is on pace for his fifth 20-goal campaign in the past six seasons. He has won a pair of Stanley Cups; one with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and one with the Blackhawks in 2010.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Frustration may be getting the best of the Chicago Blackhawks, as they finished the second period down 4-0 to the Minnesota Wild, and also down a defenseman who was ejected for a crushing hit.
Michal Rozsival's day at TCF Bank Stadium ended early as he was given a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct late in the second for this hit on Wild forward Jason Zucker, who was carted off the ice with an upper-body injury.
Zucker had one shot on goal, playing a team-low 5:26 of ice time on the day.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Matt Dumba made history in the State of Hockey on Sunday.
The Minnesota Wild defenseman opened the scoring in a Stadium Series game against the Chicago Blackhawks, banging home a Ryan Carter rebound off a failed breakaway attempt.
The State of Hockey gets LOUD early on in the #StadiumSeries.https://t.co/DRefDwayAE
— NHL (@NHL) February 21, 2016
The goal was Dumba's ninth, and the first scored outdoors by a member of the Wild.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The St. Louis Blues will be without Alexander Steen for at least four weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Sunday.
Related: Allen's return gives St. Louis options in net, on trade market
The injury came at the hands of Arizona Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton, who made contact with Steen and caused an awkward collision into the boards.
Steen's injury will be reevaluated in four weeks, at which point there'll be fewer than 10 games left in the regular season.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Michael Del Zotto's season is over.
The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a wrist ligament and is expected to be out three-to-four months, general manager Ron Hextall announced Sunday.
Del Zotto, who signed a two-year, $7.75-million contract extension with the Flyers last summer, recorded four goals and nine assists in 52 games prior to suffering the injury.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are just getting started.
Following Sunday's trade that saw general manager Lou Lamoriello send forward Shawn Matthias and the balance of his $2.3-million cap hit to the Colorado Avalanche, the Maple Leafs still possess a bevy of impending unrestricted free agents who can be used as bait in advance of the NHL's Feb. 29 trade deadline.
| Player | Position | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Grabner | RW | $3M |
| Nick Spaling | C | $2.2M |
| PA Parenteau | RW | $1.5M |
| Mark Arcobello | C | $1.1M |
| Brad Boyes | RW | $700K |
| Rich Clune | LW | $575K |
| Roman Polak | D | $2.75M |
| James Reimer | G | $2.3M |
(Contract information courtesy: General Fanager)
The Maple Leafs are well positioned to further stock the cupboard through the draft, as the players above are capable of fetching more picks and prospects.
#Leafs now own 12 draft picks for 2016; 11 if #Pittsburgh misses playoffs. pic.twitter.com/np8caj74Rf
— Gurdeep Ahluwalia (@GurdeepA) February 21, 2016
On top of that, the Maple Leafs have prominent restricted free agents Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly to take care of. Reimer could also be retained, which would make Jonathan Bernier the odd man out in net.
It remains to be seen whether players like Joffrey Lupul, James van Riemsdyk, and Tyler Bozak - all currently on injured reserve - are part of Brendan Shanahan's long-term plan, or if they'll meet the same fate as Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel in being shipped out of town.
What's clear is the Maple Leafs are trying to wipe the slate as clean as possible in hopes of building a winning product from the ground up, and the deconstruction process could go into overdrive over the next eight days.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.