Panthers at Wild
The Minnesota Wild have turned their tumultuous season around - and they have a journeyman goaltender to thank for that. Devan Dubnyk looks to continue his incredible hot streak Thursday night as he leads the Wild into a home date with the Florida Panthers. Dubnyk has been sensational since coming to Minnesota in a trade with Arizona, sporting an 8-1-1 record with a 1.53 goals-against average, a .941 save percentage and four shutouts.
Dubnyk and the Wild are coming off a 2-1 overtime setback in Winnipeg that halted a six-game winning streak. They'll face a Panthers team that had one of its strongest games of the season last time out, stunning the powerhouse Anaheim Ducks 6-2 to extend their point streak to four games (3-0-1). Thursday's contest in Minnesota marks the beginning of a brutal stretch for Florida, which will play seven of its next eight games away from BB&T Center.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (24-17-11): Florida had plenty for which to be happy in the win over Anaheim, most notably the reliance on a balanced offense - six different players scored, while a dozen skaters finished with at least one point. But it wasn't all good news for the Panthers, who lost Brandon Pirri just 17 seconds into the game after he collided with towering Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf at center ice. Coach Gerrard Gallant believes Pirri, who has nine goals in 28 games this season, should be able to return Thursday.
ABOUT THE WILD (26-20-7): Minnesota has its own injury concerns - and they're far more extensive at the moment. Jason Zucker, who ranks second on the team with 18 goals, will undergo surgery for a broken collarbone Thursday and is expected to miss at least the remainder of the regular season. He joins an infirm list that includes gritty forward Matt Cooke, who's out until the middle of next month recovering from sports hernia surgery, and wing Ryan Carter, who has an upper-body injury that will keep him out for several weeks.
OVERTIME
1. Four of the last seven meetings between the teams have been settled in extra time.
2. Florida has won just one of its last six visits to Minnesota.
3. The Panthers scored a season high-tying three power-play goals against Anaheim, but could be in tough against a Wild team ranked fifth overall in penalty-killing success rate (85 percent)