Maple Leafs at Wild
Having matched their best start in seven years, the Minnesota Wild seek to avenge an early-season loss at Toronto when they host the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. Minnesota is coming off a 3-2 victory at Carolina on Saturday night - its first shootout win of the season - to improve to 10-4-4, tying the 2006-07 squad for the best start through the opening 18 contests. The Wild have won three straight home games and are 4-0-1 in their last five overall.
A 3-1 defeat at nemesis Boston continued an offensive funk for Toronto, which has produced only two goals in its past three contests following a three-game win streak in which it scored four goals in each. The slump has coincided with an injury to center Dave Bolland, who is sidelined with a severed tendon suffered in a 4-0 loss at Vancouver on Nov. 2. The Maple Leafs have won the past three meetings with Minnesota, including a 4-1 victory on Oct. 15.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Wisconsin
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (11-6-0): Bolland, a free-agent acquisition from Chicago who scored six goals in 15 games, was at practice and said there is no timetable for his return. “Everything was rolling, everything was going really well and then something like this happens,” said Bolland, whose tendon was cut by the skate of Vancouver's Zack Kassian. "It really crushes you." With Tyler Bozak (hamstring) also on the shelf, Toronto is perilously thin at center, forcing the Leafs to try James van Riemsdyk in the middle the past two games.
ABOUT THE WILD (10-4-4): A lack of firepower was a major issue in the opening month for Minnesota, which was limited to two goals or fewer in nine of its first 13 games, but the Wild have picked things up dramatically by scoring 13 goals in the three-game home win streak. Jason Pominville has been on a tear with seven goals in his lsat seven games to give him a team-leading 11 - one more than he had in 37 games with Buffalo last season before he was traded to Minnesota. Goaltender Josh Harding is 6-0-1 with a pair of shutouts in his last seven starts.
OVERTIME
1. The Maple Leafs have outscored Minnesota 11-2 in their last three meetings.
2. Wild D Keith Ballard (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Monday and is expected to be out two weeks.
3. Minnesota outshot Toronto 37-14 but Maple Leafs G James Reimer turned aside 36 shots in last month's matchup.