Minnesota
The Minnesota Wild have made resilience a valuable habit, halfway through a banged-up regular season
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild wouldn’t need much time to identify a theme for their first half of the regular season — unfazed ought to do it.
In a fitting finish to their 41st game, the Wild reached the midpoint of the schedule in taxing fashion by fending off the St. Louis Blues 6-4 for their fourth straight victory on Tuesday night.
“Even if we’re up or even or down, I think we just keep playing,” defenseman Jonas Brodin said. “To do that, I think that’s really good. We’ve just got to keep doing it the rest of the season.”
Minnesota (26-11-4) kept pace with Central Division leader Winnipeg, staying two points behind the Jets with one game in hand. The Wild have the fourth-best record in the NHL, after missing the playoffs last season with largely the same roster. One key difference in 2023-24 was a lack of resiliency when injuries and slumps came their way.
“The vibes are high. Everyone’s feeling good,” defenseman Jake Middleton said.
With Brodin leading the way with a career-high 33:02 of ice time, the second-most by any player in the NHL this season, the Wild managed to outlast a late surge by the Blues with contributions from everywhere in the lineup.
Defenseman Brock Faber, the runner-up for the Calder Trophy last year for the league’s top rookie, departed in the first period with an upper-body injury. That meant more minutes for Zach Bogosian on the first blue-line pair with Brodin, with captain Jared Spurgeon sidelined by a lower-body injury.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton is congratulated for his goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. Credit: AP/Matt Krohn
Flanked by the second forward line of Marcus Johansson, Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman down the stretch with a one-goal lead, Brodin and Bogosian were a two-man wrecking crew in front of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury during a supersized shift to end the game. Johansson’s empty-netter with 36 seconds left gave the Wild a 6-4 lead and a much-needed deep breath.
“That six-man unit to end the game was special to watch,” said Middleton, who returned from a 10-game absence due to an upper-body injury with a goal and an assist.
The defensemen combined for three goals and two assists. Brodin, who led the team with four blocked shots, was justifiably proud of the effort.
“It’s fun to be playing those situations, too, like when it’s on the line. I love to play those minutes. That’s what you dream of when you’re a kid, play those tight games and those shifts. I love it,” Brodin said. “You forget you’re tired when you’re on the ice.”
St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn, right, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin reach for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. Credit: AP/Matt Krohn
So what’s the recovery plan?
“I don’t know. Maybe order a pizza or something,” Brodin said.
Wild coach John Hynes had no update on Faber’s condition after the game, but Brodin and his blue-line boys will surely be ready for more role upgrades after the first half they’ve experienced. Brodin missed 10 games earlier this season himself.
Up front, star left wing and leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov is still out with a lower-body injury that has cost him six games and counting. Earlier this season, Eriksson Ek and another top-six forward, Mats Zuccarrello, missed 29 games between them.
“You can go one of two ways when you hit adversity, and we’re choosing to rise to the occasion,” Bogosian said. “That’s what we need to do.”
Minnesota
Minnesota weather: Warm Saturday with hotter days ahead
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Expect a sunny Saturday with heat expected to build up this weekend before an even hotter work week.
Saturday forecast
Local perspective:
Winds stay light out of the south with plenty of sunshine today.
There are hints of an extremely isolated thundershower, but the chance of that happening over any given area is extremely small.
Expect highs to peak in the upper 80s with dew points in the mid to upper 60s this afternoon.
Extended forecast
What’s next:
This forecast is hot.
Highs will peak in the 90s every day this upcoming week for the Twin Cities and a large portion of the area as well.
Dew points really don’t look to surge into the 70s but mainly stay in the lower to upper 60s depending on the day of the week.
Little to no precipitation forecast this upcoming week. Expect dry and sunny days.
The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast.
Minnesota
How to prepare for extreme heat in Minnesota
Minnesota
Northwest Minnesota Foundation awarded $200,000 for child care economic development
BEMIDJI — The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development recently announced over $1.4 million in child care economic development grants, including a $200,000 award to the
Northwest Minnesota Foundation
in Bemidji.
Split between 11 programs and organizations around the state, more than 80% of the awarded funds support programs in Greater Minnesota, with the aim of creating more than 1,100 new child care slots.
“Affordable, reliable child care is essential for a thriving economy,” DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a release. “These grants are supporting working families by ensuring Minnesota parents are able to work knowing their child is well cared for by some of the best caregivers in the nation. We’re also helping employers retain talent and working together to establish the foundation for long-term economic vitality.”
DEED’s Child Care Economic Development Grant program provides funding to organizations and communities to invest in new or expanding child care businesses, including facility improvements, worker training, attraction, retention and licensing, and other strategies to address the child care shortage.
Since the office’s inception in July 2023, DEED has awarded over $13 million in grants to 56 organizations to fund child care startups or business expansions, resulting in over 4,000 new child care slots.
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