Wild at Maple Leafs
The Minnesota Wild look to conclude their five-game, 12-day road trip on a high note as they finish the lengthy trek against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The Wild have won six straight games versus the Maple Leafs, although they are singing a much different tune at Air Canada Centre where they have dropped six of nine.
Minnesota coach and Toronto native Bruce Boudreau has endured his fair share of struggles in his hometown with four straight losses and eight setbacks in 12 outings, so much so that he's wary of stumbling out of the blocks on Wednesday. "I hope it doesn't happen in this city,” Boudreau told the Minneapolis Star Tribune of a potential slow start. "I have enough trouble winning in Toronto when I come, so I hope we're ready to play." Top overall pick Auston Matthews has been ready to play with five goals and two assists in his last seven games for the Maple Leafs, who lost five of those contests and are hoping that a return home will do them good. Toronto has won four of its last five and eight of 11 at Air Canada Centre.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), Sportsnet
ABOUT THE WILD (12-8-4): Captain Mikko Koivu scored 3:11 into overtime in Sunday's 2-1 win over Edmonton to cap a memorable game in which he won 21 of 23 draws in the faceoff circle. The 33-year-old Finn has collected four goals and three assists in his last seven while fellow forward Charlie Coyle has added five tallies and two assists in his last eight. The 24-year-old Coyle has enjoyed facing Toronto in his young career, collecting six points (one goal, five assists) in as many meetings.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (10-9-5): Frederik Andersen has started 20 of his team's 24 games this season and is well on his way to surpassing his previous high of 53, accomplished during the 2014-15 season under Boudreau's watch. "That was a good learning curve about playing every night and getting used to that workload both mentally and physically," Andersen told TSN on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Dane owns a 4-2-1 mark with 1.85 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in his last seven outings.
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota veteran C Eric Staal scored twice in a 3-2 win over Toronto on Oct. 20 and has 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 42 career encounters.
2. Toronto C Nazem Kadri was absent from Tuesday's practice due to illness, leaving his availability for Wednesday's tilt in question.
3. Wild G Devan Dubnyk, who made 31 saves in the first meeting, owns a 4-1-1 mark with one shutout in his career versus the Maple Leafs.