Preview: Wild at Blues

ST. LOUIS -- The Minnesota Wild continues its road trip tonight against a skidding St. Louis Blues squad that has lost three consecutive games.

Info for Tonight's Game:

• When: Saturday, March 2 at 5:00 p.m. CT
• Where: Enterprise Center (Saint Louis, Missouri)
• Watch: Bally Sports North
• Listen: KFAN 100.3 FM
• Gamecenter: Wild at Blues

Wild Record: 28-26-6, 62 points, 6th in Central Division

Blues Record: 30-26-3, 63 points, 5th in Central Division

2023-24 Series Record: 1-0-0

Wild vs. Blues All-Time Record: 41-33-19 (15-19-11 at Enterprise Center)

Last Time Out

The Wild suffered a defeat to the Nashville Predators, 6-1, on Thursday night (2/29) at Bridgestone Arena. F Connor Dewar (1-0=1) struck first in the game but was the only goal-scorer for Minnesota. F Ryan Hartman (0-1=1) and F Brandon Duhaime (0-1=1) assisted on the goal. G Filip Gustavsson stopped 25-of-31 shots faced (.806 SV%). 

The Blues lost in overtime to the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, on Wednesday night (2/28) on the road. Forwards Robert Thomas (1-1=2; PPG) and Jordan Kyrou (0-2=2) led St. Louis in points. F Pavel Buchnevich (1-0=1) also scored for the Blues. G Jordan Binnington saved 33-of-36 shots faced for a .917 SV%.

Previously on Wild vs. Blues

Minnesota won the series-opening games, 3-1, at Xcel Energy Center in late November.

F Matt Boldy (1-0=1), F Joel Eriksson Ek (1-0=1) and F Freddy Gaudreau (1-0=1) scored for the Wild. Gustavsson saved 23-of-24 shots faced (.958 SV%) to earn the win for Minnesota.

D Colton Parayko (1-0=1) scored for the Blues. Binnington stopped 34-of-37 shots against (.919 SV%) for St. Louis.

Players to Watch

• F Kirill Kaprizov (26-37=63) leads Minnesota in points, is second in goals and assists and leads his team in points and goals (3-3=6) in his last five games played
• F Mats Zuccarello (11-39=50) leads the Wild in assists this season, is third in points and his tallied five assists (1-5=6) in his last five games
• Hartman (15-18=33) is on a four-game point streak (0-5=5)
• Thomas (20-48=68) leads St. Louis in points and assists, is second in goals and has recorded seven points (1-6=7) in his five previous games
• Buchnevich (24-24=48) leads the Blues this season in goals, is second in points and has scored six goals in five games

Recent Transactions

The Minnesota Wild signed F Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-way, entry-level contract (2/28). 

To view more recent transactions, visit wild.com/transactions.

To view Minnesota's full Injury Report, visit wild.com/injury.

Connections

• Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin registered 47 points (28-19=47) in 61 contests with the Blues in 2006-07
• F Pat Maroon is from St. Louis and spent one season with the Blues, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018-19. He recorded 28 points (1018=28) in 74 regular season games and seven points (3-4=7) in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games
• D Justin Faulk is from South Saint Paul and played one season at the University of Minnesota Duluth (2010-11)
• D Nick Leddy hails from Eden Prairie and was selected by Minnesota in the first round (16th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft
• D Scott Perunovich is from Hibbing and played three seasons (2017-20) at the University of Minnesota Duluth
• D Marco Scandella was selected by the Wild in the second round (55th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft and recorded 89 points (27-62=89) in 373 games in seven seasons (2010-17) with Minnesota
• F Oskar Sundqvist recorded seven points (3-4=7) in 15 games with Minnesota in 2022-23

Fast Facts

• The Wild is 11-9-5 in its last 25 games vs. St. Louis
• The Wild topped the Blues in the 2015 First Round, clinching the series with a Game 6 win in Saint Paul – marking the first time in franchise history Minnesota won a playoff series on home ice
• The Blues defeated the Wild in the 2017 First Round and 2022 First Round

Game Notes

For more information on tonight's contest, check out the game notes below.