Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. Edmonton

The essentials

ST. PAUL -- The Wild will aim for its first post-All-Star victory on Thursday when it returns to home ice for a game against the Edmonton Oilers at Xcel Energy Center.
Minnesota has earned a point in two of its three games since the eight-day layoff, but has been unable to get over the hump when it comes to earning a victory.
Late rallies have been the key in each of the last two games for the Wild. Against Chicago on Saturday, Victor Rask scored his first goal in a Wild uniform with under four minutes to play to pull Minnesota even. It eventually lost in overtime.
Then on Tuesday in Buffalo, Zach Parise scored with 93 seconds remaining and the Wild net empty to tie the game at 4-4. Minnesota would lose in the shootout.
"They never quit," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "They want to win. They want to give it everything they've got and sometimes it comes up one short.
"It's not a great feeling chasing the game. But you do what you have to do to eventually get points and win the game and we have to chase the game then we have to chase the game."
The Wild did not practice on Wednesday ahead of a busy stretch of games. Minnesota will play three games in the next four days, including a flight on Friday to New York City, where the Wild will take on the Devils and Islanders in back-to-back matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
A four-game homestand begins after that, before another trip to the Big Apple on Feb. 20.
It's a crucial stretch of games for the Wild. Of its next 10 games between Thursday and Feb. 24, just one is against a team currently inside the playoff picture. Three of those games -- one versus Anaheim and two against St. Louis -- will come against teams directly behind the Wild in the standings.
After that stretch, the Wild plays five-straight games -- and six of seven -- against teams at or near the top of the NHL standings, with four of those games coming on the road.
The time to make hay is now.

Koivu out for the season

The Wild announced on Wednesday that Mikko Koivu will
miss the remainder of the season
after suffering a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee during Tuesday's game at Buffalo. Koivu is expected to have surgery to repair his knee on Friday.
With Koivu out, the Wild
recalled forward
Joel Eriksson Ek from Iowa of the American Hockey League.

Offense by defense

Per NHL stats, Minnesota leads the NHL in goals scored by defensemen (35) and in percentage of team goals by defensemen (23.5%). The Wild blueliners also rank T-1st in the NHL with 11 PPG (Florida).
Despite not playing since Dec. 15, Matt Dumba ranks T-2nd with 12 goals and Jared Spurgeon ranks T-6th with 10.
Overall, Minnesota defensemen have totaled 110 of the team's 410 points this season, ranking sixth amongst NHL team defensemen with a 26.8 percentage.

Season series

All-Time Wild Record: 52-28-10 (27-14-3 at Xcel Energy Center, 25-14-7 at Edmonton)
2018-19: Minnesota is 1-1-0 after two meetings against Edmonton, both played at Rogers Place, with a 4-3 win in the first game (10/30) and a 7-2 loss in the second game (12/7)…C Eric Staal leads the team with three points (1-2=3)…RW Mikael Granlund (1-1=2), LW Zach Parise (1-1=2) and D Ryan Suter (0-2=2) each tallied two points…G Alex Stalock is 1-1-0 with a 3.77 GAA and a .889 SV% in two games (one start)…G Devan Dubnyk made three saves in during the second contest…C Leon Draisaitl (3-2=5) and C Connor McDavid (2-3=5) each lead the Oilers with five points…RW Alex Chiasson owns two goals…G Cam Talbot is 1-1-0 with a 3.04 GAA and a .902 SV% in two starts.
WILD LEADERS: C Mikko Koivu leads the Wild with 46 points (7-39=46) in 63 games against Edmonton, tied for his highest total against any team… Suter has 22 points (5-17=22) in 48 matches…Staal has 21 points (5- 16=21) in 20 contests…LW Zach Parise has 16 points (9-7=16) in 24 games…C Charlie Coyle owns 15 points (7-8=15) in 20 matches.
WILD GOALIES: Dubnyk is 9-3-0 stopping 269-of-287 shots faced for a 1.59 GAA, a .937 SV% and two shutouts in 12 career starts vs. the Oilers… Stalock is 3-2-0 with a 2.58 GAA and a .914 SV% in six games (five starts).
OILERS LEADERS: C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leads the Oilers with 14 points (7-7=14) in 23 games against Minnesota…McDavid owns 12 points (6- 6=12) in 11 matches…C Kyle Brodziak has eight points (4-4=8) in 31 contests.
OILERS GOALIES:Talbot is 5-6-1 with a 2.53 GAA and a .918 SV% in 12 career starts vs. the Wild…G Mikko Koskinen has not faced the Wild.

Did you know?

The Wild's 114 points, 25 wins in Edmonton and 52 wins overall are the most against any franchise … Its 27 victories at Xcel Energy Center are its second-most against any franchise … The Wild is 15-6-1 in the last 22 games against the Oilers … Minnesota is 23-5-1 in the last 29 games against Edmonton at Xcel Energy Center (since 2/25/07).