Martin Hanzal will likely crack the Wild lineup tonight after missing three games with a case of strep throat.
Hanzal skated with the team on Saturday morning, along with defensemen Christian Folin and Gustav Olofsson, who are both out with upper body injuries and could see playing time in the week ahead, though not tonight.
The last time Hanzal played was when he tallied an assist in Minnesota's 7-4 win over the Florida Panthers in Sunrise.
"I skated yesterday for the first time. I was a little low on energy, but I felt better today," Hanzal said after the Wild's morning skate Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.
Hanzal's return comes at a time when Minnesota is in need of a spark after losing its final three games of a five-game road trip and winning just once on the swing. With Hanzal in, Tyler Graovac will be out of the lineup Saturday night, as will Ryan White. Jordan Schroeder, whose speed will match up nicely against a quick Rangers team, will be in.
"I just think it's the consistency. There's some games we come in, we've said, 'Man, [White is] great.' And then other games, we go, 'Oh man, what happened to him?'" said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau when asked about the switch. "I told him today it has nothing to do with the way he's playing, it's just [that] we want more speed in the lineup."
