Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. Dallas

The essentials

The Wild Warmup is presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling
ST. PAUL --As the Wild's schedule inches closer to the longest homestand in franchise history, it will first host a brief two-game home stretch beginning Sunday when it welcomes the division-rival Dallas Stars to Xcel Energy Center.
Minnesota will begin a marathon nine-game homestand a week from Sunday when the Wild hosts the Nashville Predators on a night when the franchise will retire Mikko Koivu's No. 9 jersey into the rafters.
But there's plenty of business to accomplish before then, namely Sunday's tilt against the red-hot Stars, who have won three-straight games and seven of their past 10, moving to within just two points of the Wild in the Central standings.
For the Wild, which has been so good on home ice for a vast majority of the season, the game offers the club a chance to get right at Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota hasn't won in St. Paul since a Valentine's Day win over Detroit.
The stat is a bit misleading: the Wild's schedule of late has been road-heavy. Regardless, Minnesota is coming off consecutive home defeats for the first time this season, falling to the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames.
Those defeats have come during a rough patch overall for the Wild, which has won just two of its past nine overall, losing ground in a now-crowded Central Division playoff picture.
While the Colorado Avalanche have built a large lead atop the division, second-place St. Louis, third-place Minnesota, fourth-place Dallas and fifth-place Nashville began the day Saturday separated by just six points. Minnesota has played fewer games than all of those clubs, but it's once hefty advantage in that category has dwindled.
The Wild is coming off a frustrating 5-4 loss in Buffalo on Friday night, a game where it overcame a third-period deficit to take a 3-2 lead with less than half a period remaining, only to see the Sabres rally with three late goals to win in regulation.
"Clearly we didn't get some bounces but obviously we didn't do some right things when we had the lead," said Wild coach Dean Evason. "When we had the tie game on the road, we should have been able to look after that. But yeah we got a couple bad bounces for sure. But it happens."
The loss came on the heels of a win the previous night in Philadelphia, one where the Wild yet again overcame a third-period deficit to earn the victory. That win snapped a four-game losing skid.
"We have had a tough couple weeks," said Wild forward Kevin Fiala. "It's not a secret, but in the team, in the room, it doesn't feel like anything. So I'm confident we'll be fine Sunday."
Minnesota is hoping to have some lineup reinforcements in place for the game, as both Matt Dumba and Jordan Greenway could return to the lineup. Dumba has been out the past couple of weeks with a lower-body injury, while Greenway has missed the past handful with an upper-body injury. Both players recently accompanied the club on its two-game road trip to partake in morning skates.
They will test things on Sunday morning and the club will make a decision on their status from there.
The Wild will have its work cut out on Sunday when it faces a Stars team playing some of its best hockey of the season. Dallas has won consecutive games and enters riding a five-game point streak where it has gone 4-0-1.
Dallas won 4-3 in overtime on Friday night on Winnipeg, powered by Jason Robertson's winning goal, his third of the night, capping his first NHL hat trick. Robertson has been red hot of late, scoring at least a goal in three of his past four, and is in the midst of a breakout second season. The 22-year-old left winger leads the Stars with 26 goals and has 51 points in 64 games and is a plus-20.
Joe Pavelski leads the club with 36 assists and 57 points while Roope Hintz has 23 goals and 45 points in 52 games.
Lakeville native Jake Oettinger and veteran Braden Holtby have split action between the posts most of the season, with Oettinger posting an 18-6-1 record in 27 games (25 starts) with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.
Holtby, in his first season with the Stars, is 10-10-1 with a 2.78 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
The game Sunday marks the third of four meetings between the clubs this season. The Wild won 7-2 in the only other game in St. Paul on Nov. 18. Dallas won 7-4 in the rematch at American Airlines Center on Dec. 20.
The two clubs will finish the season series April 14 in Dallas.