Minnesota’s Vladimir Tarasenko knows how to find the back of the net.
Tarasenko also knows the playing style of Thursday night’s opponent, the Detroit Red Wings.
He will try to lead the Wild past the Wings when the teams face off in Saint Paul, Minn.
In his first season with the Wild, Tarasenko has 13 goals and 15 assists in 44 games. He has five goals and three assists in his past four games.
Last season, Tarasenko scored 11 goals in 80 games for the rival Red Wings.
“He’s stepped up big time for us,” Wild defenseman Brock Faber said of Tarasenko. “That’s why he’s a leader. That’s why he’s had such a successful career. Such a great addition to this team.”
The Wild have won two of their past three games. They are coming off a three-game road trip in which they held on for a 5-4 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres, cruised to a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and fell 4-3 vs. the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Detroit will go for its fourth victory in a row on Thursday. The Red Wings, who have won seven of their past eight games, are coming off a 2-1 win Wednesday in overtime against the Maple Leafs, which followed a 4-3 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators and a 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks.
Red Wings forward Patrick Kane will look to prove that he still has the ability to make a difference. The 37-year-old Kane has 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists) in 36 games this season and 500 goals and 1,372 points in his career.
Kane hopes to surpass Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano as the top-scoring American-born player in history. Modano finished with 1,374 points during his career (1989-2011).
“Being an American kid and growing up a big fan of Chris Chelios, Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Pat LaFontaine, this is pretty cool,” Kane said. “Hopefully, it comes sooner than later.”
The Wild will try to stop Kane and his teammates with a pair of talented goaltenders.
Filip Gustavsson, who is seeking his 100th career win, is 16-9-5 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. He has faced the Red Wings five times in his career, going 2-3-0 with a 2.45 GAA and a .889 save percentage.
Minnesota’s backup netminder, Jesper Wallstedt, is 12-5-4 with a 2.70 GAA and a .912 save percentage. He has yet to face Detroit during his brief career.
The Red Wings could counter with John Gibson or Cam Talbot in net.
Gibson is 19-9-1 with a 2.74 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 30 starts this season. He is 7-8-4 with a 2.67 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 20 career games against Minnesota.
Talbot, 38, also is no stranger to the Wild, with whom he played from 2020-22. Talbot has faced the Wild 19 times in his career, going 9-8-2 with a 2.43 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
This will be the first of two meetings this season between the Wild and Red Wings. The teams also will play April 5 in Detroit.
–Field Level Media
