Save for nine games with the Florida Panthers back in the 2020-21 season, Vinnie Hinostroza’s last five NHL employers – Arizona, Chicago, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Nashville – are franchises that either no longer exist, or will be watching the coming playoffs from the comfort of their respective living rooms.
It was less than six weeks ago that the Wild claimed Hinostroza off waivers from the Predators, and thrust the Chicagoland native back into the hunt for postseason hockey, which he admits has been a refreshing change.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in a playoff race,” said Hinostroza, whose career resume shows eight career playoff games – one in Chicago and seven games with the Coyotes in August of 2020, when the NHL resumed play during the pandemic, with games played at neutral sites in Canada. “It’s so much fun going out there and battling every day. Every game is so important and every shift is so important, so it’s been super fun being here.”
It was the 400th career game for Hinostroza on Saturday, after he scored four goals in his first eight games in Minnesota. He said the warm reception he received in St. Paul, both in the locker room and at the rink, has made the transition much more smooth.
“Since I got here, this team has been very welcoming and it was easy to step in and just be myself,” he said. “Some places, that’s hard to happen. You don’t always mesh or fit right away or guys sometimes overlook you, considering where you’ve been the last little bit of your career.”
More positive progress for Jonas Brodin
There were no lineup changes for the Wild on Saturday, meaning that defenseman Jonas Brodin was scratched for the seventh consecutive game with a lower body injury. But he skated with the team for the third time this week during their morning skate at TRIA Rink, and Wild coach John Hynes likes the progress he is seeing.
“I would say progressing in a positive manner,” Hynes said. “Today was kind of a big day, like, ‘OK, how does he respond (skating) three days in a row?’ A little bit less of a load today than he had the last couple days. So still progressing, but there still needs to be some time to see how he responds to it after each day.”
In all, Brodin has missed 28 games due to injury this season. He has played in 38 games with four goals and 14 assists.
Familiar Blues back end
In addition to being one of the Wild’s closest rivals geographically, the Blues feature a trio on defense that is notably well-known to hockey fans in Minnesota.
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Veteran St. Louis defenseman Ryan Suter spent the bulk of his NHL career – 656 games over nine seasons – with the Wild. Another St. Louis veteran, Nick Leddy, is from Eden Prairie, played for the Minnesota Gophers, and was originally drafted by the Wild in the first round in 2009, before his rights were traded. Blues rearguard Justin Faulk is from South St. Paul and had one of his career highlights on the Xcel Energy Center ice in 2011 when his Minnesota Duluth team beat Michigan in overtime to win the Bulldogs’ first NCAA hockey title.
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