Red Wings at Wild
THE STORY: The Detroit Red Wings are off to a torrid start, rolling to three easy victories and recording back-to-back shutouts in their last two. Detroit can keep the momentum rolling when it visits the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. The Red Wings are 5-0-1 in their last six meetings with the Wild, surrendering only seven goals in the five victories. Detroit hasn’t opened a season 4-0 since 1997-98, a start it rode to a Stanley Cup championship. Minnesota, playing for the fifth time in eight nights, is taking a step up in class after three straight games against teams that were among the league’s weakest last season. It is the start of a brutal stretch for the Wild, who will face Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Vancouver and a rematch with Detroit in the next two weeks. Minnesota’s Josh Harding will start in goal for the first time in nearly 19 months.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSD, FSNO
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (3-0-0): Jimmy Howard made 25 saves in a 2-0 victory over road-weary Vancouver on Thursday night. He’s expected to be in net as Detroit eyes its third consecutive shutout for the first time since December 1955. Ten different players have scored for the Red Wings, whose only issue has been with the man advantage. Detroit is 0-for-16 on the power play and failed to convert on seven chances against the Canucks.
ABOUT THE WILD (2-1-1): Minnesota bounced back from a disheartening shootout loss at Ottawa by edging the Edmonton Oilers in a shootout 2-1 on Thursday. Matt Cullen is off to a great start, leading the team with three goals and converting in both shootouts. Offseason acquisition Devin Setoguchi, who notched the game-winner in Thursday’s shootout, scored five goals and added an assist with the San Jose Sharks in a playoff-series win over Detroit last season.
OVERTIME:
1. Harding’s last start came in a loss against, ironically, Detroit on March 26, 2010. He missed all of last season after tearing his ACL and MCL in a preseason game.
2. Howard is 6-1-1 with a 2.19 goals-against average in eight starts against the Wild.
3. Detroit has won 10 of its last 13 games at Minnesota.