The Minnesota Wild return to the site where last season’s postseason run came to an end.
Minnesota faces the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night for the first time since a 6-2 loss in Game 7 of a opening-round Stanley Cup playoff series in which the Wild rallied after losing three of the first four games.
The Wild head into the matchup on the strength of a four-game winning streak and are tied with the Edmonton Oilers for first place in the Western Conference with 18 points.
The Golden Knights were one of the Stanley Cup favorites heading into the season but lost four of their first five games. Vegas is a game over .500 and trails the Pacific Division-leading Oilers by four points but Edmonton has two games in hand.
Minnesota dominated the regular season matchup with Vegas last year with a 5-1-2 mark in eight matchups and a 2-1-1 mark at T-Mobile Arena.
Minnesota has an 11-2-3 all-time record against the Golden Knights.
Lineup news
After back-to-back starts for Kaapo Kahkonen, Cam Talbot will return to the net.
No morning skate for #mnwild, but Cam Talbot is expected to start and unless somebody’s banged up, I’d assume same lineup vs #goldenknights.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 11, 2021
On an aside, it’s unfair (to the beat writers) that the NHL EVER schedules second of back to backs IN Vegas, let alone 2 in one season 😀
Wild goal of year candidate?
Kevin Fiala scored just his second goal of the season in Wednesday’s win over Arizona. But the forward showed the type of hand-eye coordination he possesses on it.
FLAWLESS FIALA.#mnwild pic.twitter.com/0Guv31z4eK
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 11, 2021
Power rankings
›The Minnesota Wild made a jump of a dozen spots to No. 7 in the ESPN power rankings this week and lists Jonas Brodin as the team’s most underrated player.
›Minnesota also made a notable leap on NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk list, up 11 spots to No. 6.
›The Wild moved up three spots to No. 12 in the Sports Illustrated power rankings.
Live streaming: fuboTV
fuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.
Betting odds
The Wild vs. Golden Knights odds on WynnBET has Vegas as a 1.5 favorite at home. The teams are viewed as an even matchup as both have a negative moneyline. The Knights are listed at -107, while the Wild are at -103. The total goals is set at an over/under of 5.5.
Upcoming Wild schedule
Saturday, Nov. 13: @ Seattle, 9 p.m. CST
Tuesday, Nov. 16: San Jose, 7 p.m. CST
Thursday, Nov. 18: Dallas, 7 p.m. CST