Jets at Wild
The Minnesota Wild attempt to salvage the finale of their three-game homestand when they face off against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Minnesota began the homestand by dropping one-goal decisions to New Jersey and Buffalo and has lost three straight overall (0-2-1) at Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild are tied for last in the Central Division with 113 tallies but have the third-best goal differential at plus-11. Winnipeg looks to post consecutive victories for the first time this month after snapping a three-game slide with an overtime triumph over Nashville on Thursday. Blake Wheeler tallied 51 seconds into the extra session to cap a two-point performance and raise his team-leading total to 43. Wheeler and Bryan Little have recorded five points apiece in three games against Minnesota this season, two of which were won by the Jets.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE JETS (20-21-3): Little halted his eight-game goal-scoring drought Thursday with his team-leading 15th of the season and added an assist for his second multipoint effort in three contests. Drew Stafford is now one tally behind Little after seeing his drought reach four games. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien could miss Friday's contest as he exited the win over Nashville in the third period with an upper-body injury after scoring a pair of goals in the second session.
ABOUT THE WILD (22-13-8): Ryan Carter sat out Tuesday's loss and also will miss the next two games with a hand injury. "He skated on his own today," coach Mike Yeo told reporters. "He's just not feeling well enough to get out there and play the game that he needs to play." Minnesota is expected to have Nate Prosser in the lineup Friday after the defenseman sat out three contests with a hand injury.
OVERTIME
1. Byfuglien has reached double digits in goals in eight of his last nine seasons.
2. After scoring a career-high 24 goals in 80 games last season, Minnesota RW Nino Niederreiter has netted eight in 43 contests this campaign — none in his last seven.
3. Winnipeg captain Andrew Ladd is mired in an eight-game goal-scoring drought and has tallied once in his last 12 contests.