The Blues' first nationally televised game of the season is tonight, and it's against the Minnesota Wild. In past seasons, that would be a head-scratching move, as the Wild aren't known for being offensive juggernauts, nor are they known for being exciting in general to watch on tv. The Blues, who tend to be pretty fairly well-televised, have been one of the league's hot teams for a while, so their selection makes some sense. But why the Wild?

In case you've been in a coma, it comes down to two names: Parise and Suter. This off-season the free agent bidding war to end all bidding wars was won by the Minnesota Wild, who stunned everyone by signing both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to huge 13-year $98 million contracts. Sure, the Wild have Dany Heatley (who isn't a pauper by any means), so having large contracts isn't a new thing. But the aggressiveness with which they courted Parise and Suter, and the fact that they were successful, really threw people for a loop.

How is that working out for the Wild? Right now they're in a six way tie with four points for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. By virtue of the tiebreakers, they're in ninth place. They've played well this brief season so far, but tonight will tell if they can handle the Blues effective offense.

Of course, it would be nice if the Blues played a full three periods, but that could just be me.

Check back later for the gameday preview via the opposition blog Hockey Wildnerness as well as the Game Time preview and the GDT shall be up around 6 or 6:30. For now, go on and make your predictions here.