An unsuccessful Western Canadian road trip leads the Minnesota Wild back to St. Paul, where they’ll take on the Montreal Canadiens of the Atlantic Division.
The Minnesota Wild have now lost seven of their last nine games and sit 10th in the Western Conference. They went 1-2-0 in Western Canada, with their most recent loss coming to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.
Nine months ago, Wild forward Luke Kunin suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. He has been recalled from the Iowa Wild after tallying six points in the last four games in the AHL. He should help especially with Mikko Koivu missing some time due to a lower-body injury.
Eric Staal has six points (4-2=6) in the last eight games. Mikael Granlund had a tough Western Canadian road trip; he had zero goals and two assists and had a +/- of -6.
Zach Parise played in his 900th career game on Friday against the Oilers, he has eight points (6-2=8) in the last ten games.
The Minnesota Wild conclude a stretch of playing five games against Canadian teams. The five-game stretch began against Toronto and continued with matches against Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal. They have a record of 1-3-0 so far.
Per Daily Faceoff, Devan Dubnyk will be the starting goaltender for the Wild. Dubnyk is 10-9-2 with a 2.81 GAA and a .907 SV%, he is 2-6 with one no-decision and a 3.92 GAA in his last nine starts. Dubnyk started the season with an 8-3-2 record and a 2.13 GAA.
Minnesota Connections:
Former Wild defenseman Mike Reilly has played in 25 games this season for the Canadiens recording two goals and four assists ( 2-4=6). He played his high school hockey for the Academy of Holy Angels and Shattuck St Mary’s Midget Prep team. He also patrolled the blue line for the Gophers at the University of Minnesota for three years.
Opponent: Montreal Canadiens
Montreal comes into St. Paul after winning their last two games. They beat the Senators in Ottawa and knocked off the Blackhawks in Chicago on Sunday. They have won four out of their previous five games after previously losing five games in a row.
23-year-old Max Domi has been an excellent addition to the Canadiens roster, he leads the Habs with (14-17=31) in 30 games.
According to Daily Faceoff, veteran netminder Antti Niemi will start for Montreal tonight, Niemi is 4-2-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .893 SV%.
The Rundown
Minnesota Wild (15-12-2) vs. Montreal Canadiens (15-10-5)
Puck Drop: 7:08 p.m. CT
Radio: KFAN FM and affiliates
Watch: Fox Sports North; Fox Sports app
All-Time Record vs. Canadiens: 12-6-3 (7-2-1 at Xcel Energy Center, 5-4-2 at Montreal)
Team Series Leaders:
Minnesota Wild: Eric Staal leads Minnesota with 43 points (21-22=43) in 46 games against Montreal.
Montreal Canadiens: Shea Weber leads Montreal with 25 points (6-19=25) in 43 games against Minnesota.
Wild Goalies vs. Canadiens: Dubnyk is 7-1-1 with a 2.21 GAA, a .929 SV% and one shutout in nine career starts against the Canadiens. Alex Stalock earned a shutout win in his sole career match against the Canadiens.
Canadiens Goalies vs. Wild: Price is 4-6-0 with a 3.21 GAA and a .883 SV% in 10 starts against the Wild. Antti Niemi is 11-4-2 with a 2.11 GAA, a .922 SV% and one shutout in 18 games against Minnesota.
Injuries:
Minnesota Wild: Mikko Koivu (knee)
Montreal Canadiens: no Injuries
The Minnesota Wild will be desperate for a win tonight after dropping out of the playoff picture to 10th place in the Western Conference. If things don’t get any better soon, it will be interesting to see if Wild General Manager Paul Fenton will make any moves to salvage this season.
Statistics courtesy of NHL.com and Daily Faceoff.