UPDATE: Wild vs. Hurricanes game postponed due to Carolina players in COVID-19 protocol

UPDATE: Yeah, about that Minnesota Wild game.

The matchup was postponed Tuesday afternoon as the Carolina Hurricanes had four additional players entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

Minnesota  is scheduled to host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

The  NHL stated in a media release that the league will provide a further update on Wednesday.

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The Minnesota Wild have never lost three consecutive games in regulation under Dean Evason.

Minnesota will try and continue that streak on Tuesday night with a home matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The game marks the return of former Wild forward Nino Neiderreiter and is the first matchup between the two teams since Dec. 7, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Neiderreiter was traded for Victor Rask in January 2019 and he has 51 goals and 106 points during his time with the Hurricanes.

It also is the start of a three-game home stand for the Wild this week, all against Eastern Conference opponents. Minnesota ended a four-game road trip with consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights after entering the weekend with an eight-game winning streak.

Minnesota, which remains in first place in the Central Division and leads the Western Conference with 39 points, has won its last six home games and outscored its opponents 31-12 over that stretch.  The Wild are 10-2 overall at the Xcel Energy Center this season which is tied for third in the NHL for home wins.

Tuesday marks the start of a five-game road trip for the Hurricanes, who are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, just a point behind the Washington Capitals.

Minnesota has a 9-3-4 all-time record against Carolina in St. Paul.

Lineups

The Wild will get back defenseman Jonas Brodin who has missed the past two games with an upper body injury.

The Hurricanes have been hit by COVID-19 and will be without centers Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, both of whom have entered the league’s protocol program. Aho was named the league’s second star on Monday for his performance over the past week.

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Betting odds

The Wild vs. Hurricanes odds on WynnBET has Minnesota as a 1.5 goal favorite at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild are also  listed as -152 favorites on the moneyline with the Hurricanes being underdog at +137 The total goals is set at an over/under of 5.5.

Upcoming Wild schedule

Thursday, Dec. 16: Buffalo, 7 p.m. CST

Saturday, Dec. 18: Florida, 1 p.m. CST

Monday, Dec. 20: @Dallas, 7:30 p.m. CST