There's a good chance we'll see more of Collin Delia between the pipes for Chicago over this next stretch. Recalled from Rockford after Corey Crawford suffered a concussion, the young goaltender stopped 35 of 36 shots he faced in his season debut, a win over Colorado.
The Wild lost four straight games heading into the break. They'll close out 2018 on the road in Winnipeg on Saturday and then at home versus Pittsburgh on Monday.
Mikael Granlund leads the way for the Wild with 34 points (11G, 23A) in 35 games. Zach Parise has 29 points (15G, 14A) through 34.
Between the pipes for Minnesota Devan Dubnyk is the workhorse, starting 28 games this season. He has a 2.59 GAA and .913 save percentage.
Wild defenseman Matt Dumba underwent surgery to repair a ruptured right pectoralis muscle and is expected to miss a minimum of three months, the team tweeted on Wednesday night.
SEASON SERIES:
The Blackhawks and Wild have met twice already this season with Chicago taking three of a possible four points (1-1-0). They lost 4-3 in OT on Oct. 11 and won 3-1 on Nov. 18.
They'll play once more on Feb. 2 in St. Paul.
LINEUP NOTES:
Delia will get the start in net for the Blackhawks, while John Hayden comes into the lineup for Chris Kunitz.
OPPONENT TO WATCH:
Zach Parise leads the Wild with 15 goals this season. He's been held without a point in his last four games so he's due.
The 2003 first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils has scored 348 goals and added 366 assists in 906 NHL regular season games.
