The Minnesota Wild have relied on stout defense all season.
Lately, the Wild have shown glimpses of a high-powered offense to add to the mix.
Minnesota will try to stay hot when it faces off against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn. The Wild are riding a six-game winning streak, while the Oilers have won two in a row and six of their past eight.
During their winning streak, the Wild have outscored opponents 28-9. That includes five-plus goals for Minnesota in each of its past three games.
“Everybody knows what they’re supposed to do out there,” Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek said. “Guys, I think, feel comfortable coming in, just knowing our system. It’s pretty clear what we want to do and (the guys) just fill their roles really well.”
Matt Boldy continues to lead the way with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the streak, including his 20th goal of the year in Thursday’s 5-2 win at Columbus.
The Wild will take on an Oilers squad that is wrapping up a five-game road trip. Edmonton is 3-1 heading into the finale, and it is coming off a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
The victory came at a cost for Edmonton.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry sustained an injury in the second period, and on Friday the team placed him on injured reserve. He was hurt in only his third game since the Oilers acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12.
In Jarry’s absence, Calvin Pickard is likely to get the start against the Wild. Pickard is 3-4-2 with a 3.91 goals-against average and an .857 save percentage in 12 games this season, and he is 4-4-0 with a 2.58 GAA and a .917 save percentage in eight career games against Minnesota.
The Oilers also promoted goaltender Connor Ingram from AHL affiliate Bakersfield with Jarry out. Ingram has not played in the NHL this season, but he is 39-44-15 with a 3.14 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 102 career games with the Nashville Predators and the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth franchise.
Edmonton will look to its offense to help cover for the loss of its new goaltender. The Oilers have scored 38 goals in their past eight games, and they have shined on the power play.
Oilers forward Zach Hyman praised his teammates for their work on special teams.
“When things are going well, you want to make sure they continue to go well,” Hyman said. “Obviously, we have a lot of different looks we can go to, and it’s nice when we’re getting the opportunities, too. We’ve got to be able to draw penalties, and I thought we did a good job of that (in our last game).”
The Wild have excelled with a one-two combination in net featuring Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt. Gustavsson is 11-8-3 with a 2.49 GAA and a .912 save percentage, and Wallstedt is 10-1-2 with a 1.96 GAA and a .936 save percentage.
Against the Oilers, Gustavsson is 2-2-0 with a 4.41 GAA and an .880 save percentage in four games. Wallstedt is 1-0-0 and stopped all 33 shots he faced in his only game versus Edmonton, a 1-0 win on Dec. 2 of this year.
–Field Level Media
