Wild at Hurricanes
The Minnesota Wild have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the past 1 1/2 months despite boasting a truly anemic power play. That unit will be put to the test Friday as the Wild put their four-game winning streak on the line against the host Carolina Hurricanes. The Wild improved to 17-4-1 in their last 22 games with a 2-1 comeback victory over Washington on Thursday despite owning the league's third-worst power-play unit.
Having scored just twice with the man advantage since Feb. 9 hasn't hurt the Wild thus far, but they know they'll need to be sharper if they have any hope of competing in the Western Conference playoffs. Friday might be a good time for Minnesota's power play to get things going, as it comes face-to-face with the league's top penalty-killing unit in the Hurricanes (88.2 percent). Carolina has allowed just one man-advantage goal over its previous 12 games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN North, FSN Wisconsin (Minnesota), SportSouth (Carolina)
ABOUT THE WILD (35-22-7): Thursday was a critical breakout performance for Jason Pominville, who leads the team in assists but has struggled to recover the form that saw him score 30 goals last season. Pominville entered Thursday with just 13 tallies in 63 games but struck twice in the third period to extend the Wild's incredible run. Linemate Zach Parise also had a banner night, assisting on both of Pominville's goals to put an end to his four-game point drought.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (24-31-7): Carolina players can breathe easy now that the trade deadline is safely in the rearview mirror - and so, too, can the coaches, who know what they'll have to work with for the remainder of the campaign. For coach Bill Peters, that means slotting some of his younger players in different situations to see how versatile they are heading into next season. "We've got all the freedom in the world," Peters told the Raleigh News and Observer. "We've got to make sure we know exactly what we have."
OVERTIME
1. The Wild have won their last three meetings with the Hurricanes, including a 6-3 home triumph on Feb. 14.
2. Carolina has won only one of its last six encounters with Central Division opponents.
3. Pominville has recorded 14 goals and 12 assists in 33 career games versus the Hurricanes.