It’s gameday and NHL trade deadline day as the Minnesota Wild takes on the Vegas Golden Knights at 9:00 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3. Minnesota made a flurry of moves on this deadline day as it has acquired forwards Bobby Brink from Philadelphia and Nick Foligno from Chicago. The club also moved forward Vinnie Hinostroza to Florida in exchange for future considerations. Prior to today’s deadline, Minnesota acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from Florida yesterday, acquired 6-foot-6 forward Michael McCarron from Nashville on Tuesday and claimed forward Robby Fabbri off waivers on Monday. Both McCarron and Brink are expected to make their Wild debuts tonight in Vegas, while Nick Foligno is expected to join the team in Colorado.
Tonight marks the third and final time Minnesota and Vegas will meet this season, with Minnesota earning wins in the first two meetings—a 3-2 overtime win in Saint Paul on November 16 and a convincing 5-2 road victory on December 29. Marcus Johansson leads Minnesota with five points (1-4=5) in the two games against Vegas, while Matt Boldy (1-2=3) and Joel Eriksson Ek (2-1=3) have three points each.
Filip Gustavsson will get the start for Minnesota tonight, coming off a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night where he stopped 24-of-25 shots faced. In 10 starts since January 17, Gustavsson owns an 8-1-1 record with a 2.66 GAA and a .910 SV%. In his two previous starts against Vegas this season, Gustavsson is 2-0-0 with a 1.93 GAA and a .902 SV%.
Minnesota has scored a power-play goal in a season-long eight consecutive games (10-26, 38.5%). According to Stats Perform, the Wild has also scored a power-play goal in seven consecutive road games (11-25, 44.0%)—it’s the second-longest streak in franchise history (13-game streak in 2016). Vegas comes into tonight’s game with the ninth-best penalty kill percentage (81.2%) in the NHL. They have only allowed five power-play goals over their last 13 games dating back to January 23 (28-33, 84.8%).
Players to watch for Minnesota:
Joel Eriksson Ek: He comes into tonight’s game with 10 points (6-4=10) in his last 10 games. In 26 career games against Vegas, Eriksson Ek owns 18 points (9-9=18). Including the postseason, Eriksson Ek owns 24 points (11-13=24) in 39 career games. His 11 goals is tied for the most in his career vs. any opponent (Los Angeles and San Jose).
Matt Boldy: He enters tonight’s game with 22 points (8-14=22) in his last 11 games played and 10 has scored in consecutive contests. In 12 career games against Vegas, Boldy owns 12 points (4-8=12).
Kirill Kaprizov: Fresh off becoming Minnesota’s all-time leading goal scorer, he comes into tonight’s game with a point (7-4=11) in eight consecutive games, and he’s recorded 14 points (2-12=14) during an eight-game road point streak. In his 18 career games against Vegas, Kaprizov owns 17 points (11-6=17).
