The Minnesota Wild have one more chance to get a victory before they leave town.
The Wild have dropped the first two games of their homestand, falling 4-3 in overtime against the New York Islanders and losing 5-2 against the struggling New Jersey Devils.
Next comes the finale of the homestand. The Wild, who have lost four of their last five (1-2-2), will face off against a Central Division foe when the Winnipeg Jets visit Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno shared he and his teammates are not stressing out too much. The team is getting good looks at the net, he said, but pucks have not gone in at the usual rate.
“This is just sometimes how it goes,” Foligno said. “And you’ve got to fight through it.”
Meanwhile, Winnipeg will go for its fourth win in a row. The Jets are coming off a 5-4 triumph over the Islanders, which followed a 4-3 victory over the Devils and a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele lead Winnipeg with 54 points apiece. Both have 22 goals and 32 assists.
Gabriel Vilardi is third with 41 points (18 G, 23 A) and Josh Morrissey ranks fourth with 37 points (8 G, 29 A).
Winnipeg has scored 14 goals in its past three games, but injuries will test its defense.
On Wednesday, Jets coach Scott Arniel provided updates for three defensemen. He said Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller and Neal Pionk all are week-to-week because of injuries.
“So, three defensemen down,” Arniel said.
Isaak Phillips and Elias Salomonsson will get an opportunity. The Jets recalled Salomonsson on Wednesday and had him fly to Minnesota.
Arniel said the young blue-liners would get a chance to showcase their skills.
“At the end of the day, even losing other guys, the depth of what we had, with our schedule and how heavy it’s been, and not having Fleury and Millsy around, it’s a grind,” Arniel said. “When we get these three (games) in four (days) and four in six, it’s nice to put new bodies in there, fresh legs in there, and we can’t really do that.
“So, look to the kids coming in, getting an opportunity. Hopefully they can step up and help us.”
The Jets defense will try to get in the way of the Wild’s attack, which includes top scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who has 52 points (25 goals, 27 assists). Matt Boldy is second on the team with 50 points (27 G, 23 A).
Winnipeg’s top goaltender is three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, who is having a tough season at 11-12-4 with a 2.75 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage. Eric Comrie serves as the backup and is 7-9-1 with a 3.33 GAA and an .884 save percentage.
Against the rival Wild, Hellebuyck is 16-10-3 with a 2.55 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 32 games. In three matchups, Comrie is 0-2-0 with a 4.20 GAA and an .866 save percentage.
For Minnesota, Filip Gustavsson is 14-9-5 with a 2.53 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Fellow netminder Jesper Wallstedt is 12-3-4 with a 2.42 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
When facing the Jets, Gustavsson is 4-2-2 with a 2.22 GAA and a .925 save percentage in eight games. Wallstedt is 2-1-0 with a 2.70 GAA and a .902 save percentage in three meetings.
–Field Level Media
