Preview: Wild vs. Kraken

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild concludes the 2023-24 season tonight against the Seattle Kraken on Fan Appreciation Night.

Info for Tonight's Game:

• When: Thursday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m. CT
• Where: Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minnesota)
• Tickets: Fan Appreciation Night
• Watch: ESPN
• Listen: KFAN 100.3 FM
• Gamecenter: Wild vs. Kraken

Wild Record: 39-33-9, 87 points, 6th in Central Division

Kraken Record: 33-35-13, 79 points, 6th in Pacific Division

2023-24 Series Record: 2-0-0

All-Time Wild Record: 6-2-0 (2-1-0 at Xcel Energy Center)

Last Time Out

The Wild triumphed over the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1, on Monday night (4/15) at Crypto.com Arena. LW Kirill Kaprizov (1-1=2) and C Marco Rossi (0-2=2) paced Minnesota with two points each. LW Matt Boldy and RW Ryan Hartman also potted goals for the Wild. G Filip Gustavsson made 23-of-24 saves in the win for a .958 SV%.

The Kraken fell to the Winnipeg Jets, 4-3, on the road on Tuesday night (4/16). C Yanni Gourde (1-1=2) led Seattle with two points. LW Tye Kartye and LW Tomas Tatar also scored goals in the loss. G Philipp Grubauer stopped 20-of-24 shots faced (.833 SV%).

This Season on Wild vs. Kraken

Minnesota won the series-opening game, 3-0, at Climate Pledge Arena (12/10) and the second game, 5-2, in Seattle (2/24).

RW Matts Zuccarello leads the Wild with five points (0-5=5) in the season series. Kaprizov trails closesly behind with four points (2-2=4). Boldy (2-0=2), C Joel Eriksson Ek (1-1=2) and C Ryan Hartman (0-2=2) all own two points. Gustavsson saved all 24 shots faced to earn the shutout win for Minnesota. G Marc-Andre Fleury started the second game and stopped 30-of-32 shots faced in the win.

D Vince Dunn (1-0=1) and RW Jordan Eberle (1-0=1) have scored for Seattle. G Joey Daccord is 0-2-0 with a 4.52 GAA and a .842 SV%. Grubauer entered the second game in relief and saved 17-of-18 shots faced.

Wild Leaders Against Kraken

• Kaprizov leads Minnesota with 10 points (3-7=10) in seven games against Seattle
• Hartman (3-5=8 in six games) and Zuccarello (2-6=8 in seven games) each own eight points
• Eriksson Ek has seven points (3-4=7) in eight games
• Boldy owns six points (5-1=6) in six games
• Fleury is 5-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA, a .935 SV% and one shutout in seven career starts vs. the Kraken
• Gustavsson shut out the Kraken in his lone start against Seattle (12/10/23)

Kraken Leaders Against Wild

• C Jaden Schwartz leads the Kraken with 28 points (14-14=28) in 42 career contests vs. Minnesota
• Eberle has 24 points (8-16=24) in 39 games
• LW Andre Burakovsky owns 16 points (4-12=16) in 26 contests
• Dunn (2-8=10 in 21 games) and Tartar (7-3=10 in 19 games) each own 10 points against Minnesota
• Grubauer is 9-7-0 with a 3.00 GAA, a .892 SV% and one shutout in 17 career games (16 starts) against the Wild
• Daccord is 0-2-0 with a 4.52 GAA and a .842 SV% in two career starts against the Wild

Recent Transactions

The Minnesota Wild signed G Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year contract extension through the 2024-25 season (4/17).

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

Connections

• LW Marcus Johansson recorded 23 points (6-17=23) in 51 games with Seattle in 2021-22
• D Will Borgen hails from Moorhead and skated in four seasons at St. Cloud State University (2015-18)
• Kraken television analyst J.T. Brown recorded eight points (3-5=8) in 56 games with Minnesota in 2018-19

Fast Facts

•  Minnesota is 6-1-0 in its last seven games against Seattle, outscoring the Kraken 24-12

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