Wild at Oilers
The Minnesota Wild attempt to post their first three-game winning streak since mid-December when they wrap up their road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Minnesota halted its eight-game slide by opening its trek with a triumph at Vancouver and improved to 2-0-0 under interim coach John Torchetti with Wednesday's 5-3 victory in Calgary.
Captain Mikko Koivu has recorded five points in as many games to raise his team-leading total to 40 as the Wild have climbed within two points of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Edmonton fell to 1-1-1 on its season high-tying six-game homestand with Tuesday's loss to Anaheim and has dropped five of its last six overall (1-4-1). Taylor Hall was one of the Oilers' few bright spots in their setback against the Ducks as he scored for the first time since Jan. 18 to end a 10-game drought and raise his team-leading total to 19 goals. Edmonton looks to even the three-game season series at one win apiece after losing a 4-3 decision at Minnesota on Oct. 27.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN North, FSN Wisconsin (Minnesota), Sportsnet West (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE WILD (25-22-10): Zach Parise has collected seven points over his last six games but has scored only one of his team-leading 18 goals in his last 10 contests. Minnesota hopes to have Marco Scandella in the lineup Thursday as the defenseman missed the victory over the Flames with an undisclosed injury. Nate Prosser replaced Scandella in the lineup and notched an assist for his first point since Dec. 15.
ABOUT THE OILERS (22-30-6): Edmonton will have a familiar face back on the blue line as Nikita Nikitin was recalled from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Wednesday to replace Eric Gryba, who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury and could miss up to a month. The 29-year-old Nikitin recorded one assist in seven games with the Oilers earlier this season after registering four goals and 10 points over 42 contests in 2014-15. The Oilers also swapped goaltenders with the Condors, recalling Anders Nilsson and demoting Laurent Brossoit.
OVERTIME
1. Wild D Ryan Suter scored two of his seven goals this season in the first meeting with the Oilers.
2. Hall needs one tally to reach the 20-goal plateau for the fourth time in his career.
3. Minnesota G Devan Dubnyk has won his last two starts after dropping his previous nine (0-8-1).