Wild Player To Watch Vs. Sabres: Bobby Brink

The Minnesota Wild (2-0-0) will look to remain unbeaten when they take on the Buffalo Sabres (1-1-0) on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center.

Minnesota has opened the season 2-0-0 with wins over the Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins. While Kirill Kaprizov has led the way offensively with three goals, Bobby Brink has quietly put together a strong start of his own.

Brink is Tuesday’s player to watch as the Wild look to improve to 3-0-0.

The 25-year-old winger has recorded an assist in each of Minnesota’s first two games, giving him two points through two contests. 

Brink picked up his latest assist during Minnesota’s 4-1 win over Boston on Saturday. With the Wild on the power play in the second period, Ryan Hartman won an offensive-zone faceoff before Brink helped move the puck to Quinn Hughes. Hughes walked toward the middle of the ice and fired a shot through traffic to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead. 

The assist was also the 100th point of Brink’s NHL career.

Brink will now head into a matchup against an opponent he’s had plenty of success against throughout his career.

In 10 career games against Buffalo, Brink has recorded three goals and eight assists for 11 points. His 1.10 points-per-game pace against the Sabres is well above his overall career scoring rate. 

It’s another opportunity for Brink to build on an encouraging start to his first full season with Minnesota.

The Wild acquired Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers last season, and he entered training camp looking to carve out a larger role in Minnesota’s lineup. Through the first two games, he’s already found ways to contribute despite averaging just 11:27 of ice time.

Brink has yet to score his first goal of the season, but he’s made an impact as a distributor and has helped Minnesota’s power play get off to a strong start.

Considering his history against Buffalo, Tuesday could provide an opportunity for Brink to take another step.

The Wild and Sabres are scheduled to drop the puck at 6 p.m. CT at KeyBank Center.

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