Coyotes at Wild
The Minnesota Wild have skated back into the postseason picture by virtue of a strong 7-2-1 mark over their last 10 contests. The Wild look to strengthen their hold on the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference on Thursday when they open a five-game homestand against the Arizona Coyotes.
Eric Staal capped Minnesota's six-goal barrage on Tuesday with his team-leading 23rd tally in a 6-2 rout of St. Louis. The 33-year-old has recorded 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in the past eight games overall and four (three goals, one assists) during last season's sweep of Arizona. All told, the Wild carry an 11-game point streak (9-0-2) versus the Coyotes into Thursday's tilt at Xcel Energy Center, where Minnesota has recorded points in 10 straight (8-0-2) and boasts a sterling 18-4-4 mark. The NHL-worst Coyotes haven't fared well regardless of venue and bring a four-game losing skid into this contest.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE COYOTES (12-32-9): Christian Dvorak continued his strong play by scoring and setting up a goal in Tuesday's 4-3 loss at Winnipeg, increasing his point total to five (three goals, two assists) in his past six games. Minnesota native Derek Stepan also scored and set up a goal to pull into a tie with Clayton Keller in assists (22) and reside second on the team in points with 32, just four behind the 19-year-old. Keller has been held off the scoresheet in five straight games and seven of his last eight.
ABOUT THE WILD (29-19-5): Defensemen Mike Reilly and Gustav Olofsson are expected to see an uptick in ice time in the absence of Jonas Brodin, who is sidelined three to four weeks after undergoing surgery on his left hand Wednesday. "You've heard it all around the sports world this year, 'the next guy up,'" Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We've been moving Mike and (Olofsson) in all year and so now's their time to shine." Reilly and Olofsson have logged approximately 12 minutes of ice time per game, a far cry from the 21:22 that the 24-year-old Brodin averages per game.
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota LW Jason Zucker has collected 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in his past 12 games.
2. Arizona owns a 3-9-2 mark versus Central Division representatives.
3. Wild LW Mikael Granlund has recorded 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in his past 13 contests.