Wild vs. Coyotes: At home for the regular season home stretch
By Tim Johnson
7 p.m. CST. 22-50-7. Tuesday, April 26 . 51-21-7. Wild -1.5. 121. Bally Sports North . 98
he Minnesota Wild will close out the final week of the regular season at home.
The hope is the Wild open the postseason there as well.
Minnesota hosts Arizona on Tuesday night in the first of three straight games at the Xcel Energy Center, where it has dominated opponents throughout the regular season. Minnesota is riding a franchise-tying 13-game home point streak (12-0-1).
And the matchup comes on Kirill Kaprizov’s birthday, and also a day after Kevin Fiala was selected as one of the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week once again.
OPA! It's a birthday celly kind of day! 🎉#mnwild pic.twitter.com/k3CHkSc6VP
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 26, 2022
The Wild is 29-6-2 at the Xcel Energy Center and has matched the team mark for home wins that was set during the 2006-07 season.
The Wild and Coyotes enter Tuesday on far different streaks. Minnesota is 8-0-2 over its past 10 games while Arizona has dropped 10 straight games.
Minnesota has won both of its previous matchups against the Coyotes this year – a 5-2 victor at Gila River Arena on Nov. 10 and a 5-2 victory in St. Paul in late November.
The Wild have won eight straight games against the Coyotes and have a 25-5-3 mark over the past 33 matchups. Minnesota is 11-1-2 in the last 14 matchups in St. Paul and have won the past six.
Minnesota remains in a final-week battle with St. Louis for which team will have home ice in the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series that begins next week. Both teams enter Tuesday with 109 points and St. Louis is in Colorado on Tuesday.
St. Louis ends the season at home against Vegas on Friday, while Minnesota has two games left after Tuesday – against Calgary and Colorado on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start in net. He is 15-8-1 with a 2.05 goals against average in 26 games against the Coyotes in his career.
Evason says Jared Spurgeon’s upper body injury isn’t as serious as originally feared. No timeline though. They’re encouraged by how he’s feeling today though. No timeframes for Zuccarello and Dumba. Fleury starts his third in a row. Dewar scratched. #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 26, 2022
Betting odds
WynnBET has Minnesota favored by 1.5 goals to open what is a three-game homestand to end the regular season. Minnesota is the heavy favorite on the moneyline at -600. The Coyotoes are the underdog at +450 and the over/under for the matchup is listed at 6.5 goals.
Upcoming Wild schedule
Thursday, April 28: Calgary, 7 p.m. CST
Friday, April 29: Colorado, 7 p.m. CST
END OF REGULAR SEASON