Hurricanes at Wild
Following a pair of ugly road losses, all it took for the Minnesota Wild to get back on track was a return to the Xcel Energy Center, where they have lost a league-low five times in regulation. Locked in a battle for third place in the Central Division, Minnesota looks to continue its success at home when it hosts the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Eric Staal tuned up for a meeting with his former team by scoring in Sunday's 4-1 win over Detroit as the Wild bounced back from road defeats at Arizona (5-3) and Colorado (7-1). “Sometimes when you get shellacked, you just gotta forget it,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. “If you dwell on it, it’s like a golfer. If you have a bad shot and you keep thinking about that bad shot, the next one’s going to be bad, too. You gotta let it go." Carolina, which is kicking off a three-game road trip Tuesday, was denied a third consecutive victory when it fell to visiting Winnipeg 3-2 on Sunday to fall two points behind Columbus for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "We're right there," said Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal, the younger brother of Eric. "We've got to put together a streak here, and it's got to be now."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, RDS, FS Carolina, FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (29-26-11): Jordan Staal scored against Winnipeg to give him points in all three games since he returned to the lineup following the death of his infant daughter. “I’m impressed and proud of how he and his wife have handled everything they’ve been through over the last few months,” Eric Staal said. “It’s been extremely difficult for them and our whole family. They are strong people." Teuvo Teravainen extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and has scored in six of his last seven contests.
ABOUT THE WILD: (37-22-8): Eric Staal continues to light up the scoreboard, notching his 14th goal in 16 games on Sunday to push his season total to 34 -- his highest mark since scoring 40 with Carolina in 2008-09. Rookie defenseman Nick Seeler sat out practice Monday after he had his face bloodied while trading heavy blows in a brawl with Detroit's Luke Witkowski on Sunday. "I think I owe him a steak dinner after that scrap," Wild forward Zach Parise said. "Standing up for teammates, you always appreciate that."
OVERTIME
1. Wild F Jason Zucker has scored six times in nine games to move within two of reaching 30 goals.
2. Hurricanes G Cam Ward is 3-1-3 with a 2.94 goals-against average versus Minnesota.
3. Wild F Luke Kunin will undergo surgery after suffering a torn ACL in Sunday's game.