Minnesota Wild vs. Panthers: A matchup worthy of national attention

It’s not as though the Minnesota Wild’s play has gone unnoticed by the national media this season.

But the Wild are getting an attention boost this week.

First, Greg Wyshynski wrote a piece on ESPN.com on how the Wild are shedding the perceived notion that they play boring hockey.  And, now on Friday night, the Wild are in a spotlight matchup on ESPN+ as they host the Florida Panthers.

Call it ‘must-watch’ TV.

The teams played already played in one of those in late November as the Panthers held on for a 5-4 victory in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers enter Friday’s rematch with an Eastern Conference-high 71 points, while Minnesota is second in the Western Conference with 63 points.

The Wild are coming off a 6-3 loss in Winnipeg on Wednesday, their second loss to the Jets in a span of eight days.

“We’ve expected our group and we’ve seen our group respond after games like this,” Wild coach Dean Evason said during his postgame media session on Wednesday. “We expect them to do the same regardless of who we are going to play next.”

Minnesota rebounded from a 2-0 loss to the Jets on Feb. 8 with a 3-2 win over the Metropolitan Division leading Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild will look to continue its domination of Florida in St. Paul now.

The Wild are 10-1-2 against the Panthers on home ice and hold a 18-7-3 lead in the series history overall.

Minnesota has won its last six games at the Xcel Energy Center and have gained at least a point in its last 13 matchups at home.

Friday night marks the Wild’s final home game in February. The Wild begin a four-game Canadian road trip  on Sunday in Edmonton.

Betting odds

The Wild vs. Panthers odds on WynnBET has Florida favored by 1.5 goals at the Xcel Energy Center. Florida also is the favorite on the moneyline at -130. The Wild are the underdog at +110 and the over/under for total goals is six.6.5.

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Upcoming schedule

Sunday, Feb. 20: @Edmonton, 7 p.m. CST

Tuesday, Feb. 22: @Ottawa, 6 p.m. CST

Thursday, Feb 24: @Toronto, 6 p.m. CST