In last night’s contest against Vegas, the Wild started hot and never looked back, scoring three goals in the first period before eventually claiming a 4-2 win. Joel Eriksson Ek scored an empty-net goal late in the third to seal the win for Minnesota. An even bigger positive? Minnesota continues to roll on special teams. The Wild killed off all five of Vegas’ power play chances while capitalizing on its lone power play opportunity. Minnesota now leads the NHL with a 95.5 PK% and a 41.2 PP%.
With the back-to-back, Calvin Pickard enters the crease for the first time this season. It’s a homecoming of sorts for the 34-year-old netminder, as he grew up in the Manitoba area and played his youth hockey with the Winnipeg Monarchs. He begins his 12th season in the NHL with a 157-74-77 record, a 2.96 GAA, a .901 SV% and five shutouts in 191 career games (157 starts). In his career against Winnipeg, Pickard owns a 4-3-1 record with a 3.25 GAA and a .889 SV% in 10 games (seven starts).
The expected starter for Winnipeg tonight is Stuart Skinner, who was Pickard’s goaltending partner over the last three seasons in Edmonton. Skinner will be making his fourth start of the season, entering tonight with a 2-0-1 record with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV%, winning his last two outings. In five starts against Minnesota, Skinner owns a record of 2-3-0 with a 2.64 GAA and a .910 SV%.
Players to Watch:
Kirill Kaprizov: The owner of six points (3-3=6) in his last three games, Kaprizov has often found success against Winnipeg, collecting 24 points (9-15=24) in 18 career games. He comes into tonight’s contest ranked T-1st in the NHL in goals (six) and T-9th in points (6-3=9).
Joel Eriksson Ek: After scoring in last night’s contest, he has now collected a point (1-1=2) in consecutive games for the first time this season. In his career against the Jets, he owns 11 points (6-5=11) in 24 games.
