Wild Warmup: Minnesota at Washington

The essentials

The Wild Warmup is presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling
WASHINGTON -- The Wild will conclude the Eastern Conference portion of its schedule on Sunday night when it plays the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.
Minnesota has already set franchise records for most points and wins versus the East in a single season following a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in Raleigh, a game that kickstarted a four-game road trip in style.
At 21-5-4, the Wild has one of the best records against the East of any Western Conference team, a record that includes a 13-0-2 mark against the powerhouse Metropolitan Division.
The win over the Hurricanes also extended the Wild's point streak to nine games, which is the longest active streak in the NHL (8-0-1).
Mats Zuccarello, Dmitry Kulikov and Kirill Kaprizov scored goals for the Wild on Saturday and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 37 shots in what was the finest outing of his brief Minnesota career so far.
Per NHL Stats, Fleury is the first Wild goaltender in franchise history to win his first three starts with the team.
"That helps for sure," Fleury said of endearing himself to his new teammates. "When I came in, I wanted to come in and make a good first impression. Obviously, it's a team game and I don't play by myself back there. Guys have been playing great in front of me. But it's definitely a lot more fun when you win games."
Zuccarello's first-period power-play goal and Kaprizov's assist on it was the latter's 84th point of the season, which set a new franchise record. The two connected for a Kaprizov goal in the third period to help put the game away.
Zuccarello now has 69 points, which is eight more than his previous career high with more than a dozen games still left on the regular season docket.
"It was nice that I got a goal for once and he would have gotten it a lot earlier if I could score more often," Zuccarello said with a grin. "It's fun for him and it's fun for all of us. He's a special player, like we all know and it's a good day; two points and a record for him.
"We're kind of the same person. I'm a little bit older, but he keeps me younger, he's competitive, we both are. We'll be on each other, but we have a good relationship.
"It's not often you find someone you click that well with, on and off [the ice]. It's been special for me."
Matt Boldy did not play in Raleigh because of an upper-body injury sustained in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins back in Minnesota on Thursday night. Boldy skated with the team during morning skate on Saturday but Wild coach Dean Evason said he was unlikely to play in either game this weekend.
Boldy could be re-evaluated ahead of Tuesday's game in Nashville or Friday night's contest in St. Louis.
Defenseman Jon Merrill is not on the trip because of an upper-body injury. Alex Goligoski was in the lineup Saturday for the first time since being scratched in three-straight games.
Goaltender Cam Talbot is expected to earn the start. He was outstanding in an overtime loss to the Pens on Thursday, a defeat that snapped his personal eight-start winning streak.
The first-time All-Star is 27-12-2 in 41 starts this season, with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
The Capitals have been off since a 6-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Monday night at Capital One Arena.
Alex Ovechkin leads the club with 42 goals and 78 points. Evgeny Kuznetsov is second in goals (22), assists (43) and points (65). Defenseman John Carlson has a club high 44 helpers.
Washington has had nearly an even split between the posts this season, with Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov sharing time.
Vanecek has 33 starts and is 17-10-5 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage, while Samsonov is 19-9-4 with a 2.95 goals against and an .899 save percentage.
Minnesota is aiming for a season sweep of the Capitals after a shorthanded Wild team won 3-2 at Xcel Energy Center on Jan. 8.
Marcus Foligno was credited with a goal in that one that was actually shot into a vacated cage by Capitals forward Carl Hagelin during a delayed penalty and Mats Zuccarello tied the game late with the extra attacker on the ice, forcing overtime and an eventual shootout, where Kevin Fiala and Freddy Gaudreau capitalized to seal a 3-2 victory.
Injuries and illness forced the Wild to play without nine regulars in that game, including Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Joel Eriksson Ek, Cam Talbot, Alex Goligoski, Jordan Greenway, Brandon Duhaime and Nick Bjugstad.
The Wild will be looking to turn the tables in a place that has historically been a difficult place for it to play. Minnesota has won just three times in 12 all-time meetings at Capital One Arena, with its win there in 2019 snapping an eight-game winless streak.