Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. Arizona

The essentials

ST. PAUL -- After a relatively quiet weekend, the Wild returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts the Arizona Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center.
Minnesota hasn't played since a Black Friday matinee victory against the Winnipeg Jets in St. Paul. The Jets led 2-0 heading to the third period before the Wild scored four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes to earn the victory.
Overall, the Wild has won its past two games following a 6-4 win last Wednesday against Ottawa.
The game Tuesday marks the second meeting of the season between the Wild and Coyotes; Minnesota secured a 2-1 victory in St. Paul on Oct. 16. Mikael Granlund and Eric Staal had goals for the Wild in the win. Staal's goal with 13:42 remaining in regulation served as the game winner. Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves against his former club to earn the victory.
Arizona begins a stretch of consecutive road games against Central Division opponents on Tuesday; after playing the Wild, the Coyotes head to Nashville for a game against the Predators on Thursday.
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The Coyotes sit seventh in the eight-team Pacific Division, having posted a 2-6-2 record over its past 10 games. It hasn't won since a 2-1 win over the Predators at Gila River Arena on Nov. 15, having lost each of its past four contests.
Clayton Keller leads Arizona with 14 points and is tied with Derek Stepan and Brad Richardson for the team lead with six goals.
Goaltenders Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta have each started 11 games this season. Raanta has a 5-6-0 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage while Kuemper is 4-5-2 with a 2.71 goals-against and a .914 save percentage.
Forward Nick Schmaltz is expected to make his Coyotes debut on Tuesday. Acquired in a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, Schmaltz has two goals and 11 points in 23 games with the Blackhawks this season, and scored 21 goals and 52 points in 78 games last year.

Hockey Fights Cancer

The Wild will host the organization's annual
Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night
presented by Innovative Office Solutions. Cancer patients, survivors and cancer charities will be featured throughout the game, and many of the traditional in-game elements will incorporate the theme of Hockey Fights Cancer.

Fans attending the game are encouraged to wear lavender to show their support. The night will be dedicated to supporting the fight against cancer in numerous ways:
- Wild players will wear lavender Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys during on-ice warmups, which will be auctioned off Nov. 27 on the official Minnesota Wild NHL Auctions page. The auction will end Dec. 7. The net proceeds will benefit the Minnesota Wild Foundation. - Hockey Fights Cancer buzz cuts will be available for $20 at Section 113 from 5:45 p.m. thru the end of the second intermission of Tuesday's game. Proceeds from the buzz cuts will benefit the team's Hockey Fights Cancer charity partners (PAB'S Paks, Pinky Swear, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Minnesota Prostate Cancer Coalition). All fans that get a buzz cut will receive a Minnesota Wild stocking cap (while supplies last). A ticket to Tuesday's Wild game is required to participate. - The Wild will host a pajama drive to benefit patients at local pediatric hospitals. Fans are encouraged to bring new, unused pajamas of all sizes to Gates 1-4 of Xcel Energy Center from 4:45 p.m. through the end of the first period. - The nightly Split-the-Pot raffle will benefit HopeKids, which provides ongoing events, activities and a powerful, unique support community for families who have a child with cancer or some other life-¬threatening medical condition. - Hockey Fights Cancer "I Fight For" cards filled out by Wild players and staff members will line the hallway between the Wild locker room and bench. Fans can fill out their own "I Fight For" signs at Hockey Fights Cancer tables at Section 104, Gate 5, and the 200-level Guest Services Area. The cards will be displayed during a special recognition moment in-game. - Hockey Fights Cancer blankets will be sold at Section 104. For each blanket purchased, one blanket will be donated to local cancer centers. - The game's pre-game Bench Buddies, Flag Bearer and intermission Zamboni® ride experiences will be donated to pediatric cancer families. - Each official Hockey Fights Cancer charity group will be represented throughout the game at the Hockey Fights Cancer information tables of the main concourse. The charities will also be highlighted in the second intermission, during which fans will be encouraged to stay in their seats.

Series notes

WILD LEADERS: C Mikko Koivu leads Minnesota with 32 points (8-24=32) in 40 games against Arizona…Staal owns 20 points (14-6=20) in 21 contests…LW Zach Parise has 18 points (10-8=18) in 22 matches…D Ryan Suter owns 16 points (4-12=16) in 44 games…RW Nino Niederreiter has 11 points (4-7=11) in 17 contests.
WILD GOALIES: Dubnyk is 7-6-4 with a 2.72 GAA and .912 SV% in 18 games (17 starts) vs. the Coyotes…G Alex Stalock is 1-1-0 with a 2.75 GAA and a .879 SV% in two games (one start).
COYOTES LEADERS: D Alex Goligoski leads Arizona with 17 points (5-12=17) in 34 games against Minnesota… Richardson owns 16 points (7-9=16) in 36 matches… Stepan has eight points (2-6=8) in 13 contests…RW Richard Panik owns eight points (4-4=8) in 16 games…D Jason Demers has eight points (3-5=8) in 30 games.
COYOTES GOALIES: Raanta is 4-3-0 with a 2.66 GAA and a .901 SV% in eight career games (seven starts) vs. the Wild…Kuemper stopped 26-of-28 shots in his sole career start against Minnesota.

Did you know?

The Wild is 13-2-3 in its last 18 meetings against Arizona, including a 12-game point streak (9-0-3, 1/9/14-2/8/18) - the longest point streak in franchise history vs. an NHL opponent…Minnesota is 5-0-2 in the last seven games played at Xcel Energy Center.
Related:
- Wild to host Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night on Nov. 27 - Buzz cuts available for fans as part of Hockey Fights Cancer night - Masons' cancer battle a labor of love