Minnesota Wild Looking for Fights in Nashville Pretty Much from Puck Drop

The Minnesota Wild were set to play on Saturday night, but this was no ordinary game. The Nashville Predators haven’t faced off against the Wild on the ice since Zach L’Heureux’s controversial hit that injured Jared Spurgeon, an incident that left a sour taste in many mouths.
A day of reckoning was expected, and L’Heureux has had plenty of time to worry about it. What that was going to look like remained to be seen, but John Hynes’ squad didn’t make fans wait too long.
Minnesota Wild come out ready to level Zach L’Heureux
Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron came out in defense of his teammate prior to tonight’s game. He suggested that the young winger “is not a dirty player.” Of course his track record suggests that L’Heureux is absolutely a dirty player, and the Wild stood up for their captain after he was taken out in their last meeting.
He was going to feel the pain again on Saturday and it didn’t take long. Former Predators center Yakov Trenin dropped the gloves for his first fight with Minnesota.
IT'S FIGHT NIGHT IN NASHVILLE 🥊
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 19, 2025
Yakov Trenin takes on Zachary L'Heureux and then it's Marcus Foligno vs. Luke Schenn IMMEDIATELY right off the draw pic.twitter.com/O31WeQMyQY
After Trenin destroyed L’Heureux, putting a couple of strong licks to his head, Marcus Foligno went to work. The Wild’s winger is no stranger to dropping the gloves. He may not have got the best of Schenn but he certainly made his presence felt.
Not only did the Wild decide they were going to pummel the Predators physically, but they scored early as well. While Minnesota’s injuries mount, recently acquired defenseman David Jiricek scored his first goal in new digs.
First goal in a #mnwild sweater for David Jiricek 🚨 pic.twitter.com/fuTMjW3K4E
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) January 19, 2025
It wasn’t the last punch to be thrown in the first period either. Veteran Ryan Hartman decided to get into the action as well. Following the faceoff after Jiricek’s goal, he went after Mark Jankowski.
Ryan Hartman vs Mark Jankowski 🥊 #mnwild pic.twitter.com/MDPRmuFVy5
— MN State of Hockey (@MinnesotaSOH) January 19, 2025
Unfortunately the Wild ended the first period trailing by a goal. However, if there was a question as to what they were going to bring from an intensity standpoint, there was no doubt after the first twenty minutes.
Related: Current and Former Minnesota Wild Head Coaches Battling for NHL Coach of the Year
Spurgeon remains out for the Wild, and L’Heureux remains a dirty player for Nashville. Minnesota needs to get things together at the Xcel Energy Center, but they remain the best road team in the NHL.
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