This is the second game of a three-game season series between the Ducks and Wild, which opened with a 4-2 Minnesota victory on Nov. 5 at Honda Center. The Ducks have posted a 34-22-10 all-time record vs. the Wild along with a 15-11-6 mark in Minnesota. They've won four straight games at Xcel Energy Center and have gone 10-2-0 in Saint Paul since Oct. 27, 2011. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf leads active Anaheim skaters in career scoring vs. Minnesota with 35 points (8g/27a) in 46 games. Adam Henrique has 14 points (7g/7a) in his last 12 games against the Wild, along with 17 points (7g/10a) and a +10 rating in his 16 career outings against Minnesota.
Tonight could mark the return of defenseman Josh Manson to the lineup. The 28-year-old blueliner has missed the past 19 games with an MCL sprain, but has practiced with the team for the past week. Manson has appeared in 11 games this season, recording three points (all assists) and a +3 rating.
Minnesota appears to have righted the ship after a rough opening month that saw the club finish October with a 4-9-0 record. The Wild has gone 10-3-4 in its last 17 games, and the 24 points over that span are tied for the fifth most since Nov. 2. Minnesota saw its season-best 11-game point streak (8-0-3) end on Saturday in a 6-2 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. The point streak was the second longest in franchise history, two games shy of the all-time mark (12-0-1) from Dec. 2-29, 2016.
Co-leading the Wild in scoring are Jason Zucker (11g/10a) and Eric Staal (8g/13a), both with 21 points in 30 games. Zucker leads the team in first goals of a game (3), tied for first in multi-point games (5), second in goals and power-play goals (4) and tied for third in power-play points (6). Staal paces the club in faceoff win percentage and co-leads in game-winning goals (3), ranks tied for second in assists and third in goals.
