Olczyk: 'The Minnesota Wild Are Not Last Year's Minnesota Wild'
(CBS) The Blackhawks dispatched the Wild in five games in a first-round playoff series last season, but Chicago shouldn't count on that result holding any weight this season.
This is a different Minnesota squad that's much more capable, NBC and CSN Chicago hockey analyst Eddie Olczyk said in an interview with the Mully and Hanley Show on Friday morning.
"I don't think there's any question that you're playing with house money (if you're the Wild)," Olyczk said. "The Minnesota Wild are not last year's Minnesota Wild that the Blackhawks pretty much toyed with in round one. This is a much deeper team. They're deeper offensively. Some of their young players have stepped up. You have the Ryan Suter factor, a guy who plays half the game."
"For anybody that's thinking this is going to be the same type of series as what happened last year in round one, I think that'd be a mistake. The Wild are a very good, hard-working team. They can score a lot more now than they were able to in the past."
For more of Olczyk's thoughts on the series, plus his breakdown and pick in the Kentucky Derby, take a listen to the full interview below.