In the 2014 postseason, Minnesota Wild forward Erik Haula made a name for himself with strong play against the Chicago Blackhawks. He’ll get a chance to do so again starting with Game 2 on Sunday.
The Pioneer Press’ Chad Graff reports that Haula will make his 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs debut with Justin Fontaine injured. It appears as though Haula may line up with Matt Cooke and Kyle Brodziak.
#mnwild lines for Game 2:
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) May 3, 2015
Niederreiter-Koivu-Stewart
Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Zucker-Coyle-Vanek
Cooke-Haula-Brodziak
Again, the Blackhawks will be all-too-familiar with the 24-year-old’s work.
The Finn scored three goals and two assist for five points in Minnesota’s competitive six-game series with the Blackhawks. One of those tallies was a game-winner:
He hasn’t made much of an impact at the NHL level outside of that great work against Chicago, which probably explains why he wasn’t able to crack the Wild lineup before Game 2 (it doesn’t help his cause that Minnesota’s become increasingly deep at the forward position, mind you).
Haula:"it's not about me. It's about me coming in and helping."Yeo said deciding factor was Haula's speed, prior performances vs CHI #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 3, 2015
To state the obvious, the Wild would be overjoyed if Haula can make history repeat itself ... although a series win would be a welcome twist.