Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.
In other words, who is on the rise this week, and who is quickly plummeting.
With that in mind, let's "take stock" of the Minnesota sports scene.
Minnesota-Duluth men's hockey team
Unranked UMD is on track to earn home ice in the conference playoffs following a surprise sweep of No. 5-ranked St. Cloud State, as goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo and the Bulldogs held the nation's No. 2-ranked offense to just two goals on the weekend. Sophomore forward Karson Kuhlman had his best weekend of the season, racking up three points in a 4-1 win on Friday, before netting the game-winning goal on Saturday.
The Bulldogs head into the final weekend of the regular season tied with Miami for the final home playoff spot, and host the RedHawks on Friday and Saturday. UMD holds the tiebreaker after besting Miami in league play, and needs just one win to clinch home ice.
Erik Haula, Wild forward
Haula has been one of the Wild's most effective forwards since former coach Mike Yeo's dismissal, and has 10 points in the club's last 10 games after scoring in a crucial win over Colorado on Monday. The former Gophers star was a major factor in Minnesota's win over the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers on Sunday, picking up two points.
Rachel Banham, Gophers guard
In what feels like a formality at this stage, Banham was voted the Big Ten Player of the Year after smashing the conference's career scoring record (2,982 points) and tying the NCAA Division I single-game women's scoring record (60 points) during her final season with the Gophers. Banham is the NCAA's active scoring leader, and also set a new Big Ten record for 3-pointers with 75.
Thomas Vanek, Wild forward
The high-priced winger has been held scoreless (and assist-less) over Minnesota's last three games, and has just five shots on goal over that span. With 18 goals and 38 points on the season he is on pace to finish with just 0.60 points on the season, Vanek's lowest mark since his rookie campaign back in 2006.
Lindsey Vonn, professional skier
Despite leading the overall World Cup standings by a whopping 28 points the gifted skier's season is over after a knee injury saw Vonn evacuated by sled after she crashed during a super-G event on Saturday. Vonn announced the move on Instagram, noting that competing in spite of the injury "could result in a serious surgery that would risk my future in ski racing."
