Wild Prepares for Pacific Division Road Trip

The Minnesota Wild landed in Calgary on Monday as it prepares for four games in six nights this week with a northwest road trip. The Wild (8-10-4) will face the Calgary Flames (10-11-3) on Tuesday night, the Vancouver Canucks (16-8-1) on Thursday as part of back to back games, the Edmonton Oilers (9-12-1) on Friday and will finish the trip against the Seattle Kraken (8-11-6) on Sunday.

The Wild has won three in a row since introducing John Hynes as head coach on 11/27 and looks to continue its success this week. Here is a look ahead to the four Pacific Division opponents it faces.

Calgary Flames

All-Time Wild Record: 42-43-16 (25-16-10 at Xcel Energy Center, 17-27-6 at Calgary)

2022-23: Minnesota went 1-1-1 against Calgary last season. Calgary won the first meeting, 5-3, at Scotiabank Saddledome (12/7), Minnesota won the second contest in Calgary, 3-0, (3/4) and the Flames earned a 1-0 shootout win in Saint Paul (3/7).

FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 15-10-5 in its last 30 games against Calgary. The Wild is 15-10-2 in its last 27 games at the Saddledome.

Vancouver Canucks

All-Time Wild Record: 48-37-15 (27-18-6 at Xcel Energy Center, 20-19-9 at Vancouver)

2022-23: Minnesota went 3-0-0 against Vancouver last season. The Wild earned a 4-3 overtime victory in the series-opening game at Xcel Energy Center (10/20), a 3-0 win in the second game at Rogers Arena (12/10) and a 2-1 win in Vancouver (3/2).

CONNECTIONS: Wild Assistant Coach Jason King served as an Assistant Coach for Vancouver for three seasons (2020-23) and Canucks Assistant Coach Mike Yeo served as Wild Head Coach for parts of five seasons (2011-16). D Ian Cole recorded eight points (1-7=8) in 52 games with Minnesota in 2020-21.

FAST FACTS: The Wild has won its last eight meetings against Vancouver, outscoring the Canucks 28-16 and is 20-9-1 in its last 30 games. The Wild is 11-3-0 in its last 14 games played in Vancouver at Rogers Arena. Minnesota’s 111 points vs. the Canucks are its third-most against a team (Edmonton, 132; Colorado, 130).

Edmonton Oilers

All-Time Wild Record: 60-30-10 (32-15-3 at Xcel Energy Center, 28-15-7 at Edmonton)

2023-24: Edmonton is the only team on the road trip the Wild has already played this season which resulted in a 7-4 victory for the Wild. C Ryan Hartman posted five points (32=5) and a hat trick to lead the Wild. LW Kirill Kaprizov (03=3), D Jake Middleton (0-3=3), C Joel Eriksson Ek (1-1=2) and RW Mats Zuccarello (1-1=2) all contributed multi-point performances. G Filip Gustavsson stopped 24-of-28 shots faced in the win. 

CONNECTIONS: LW Pat Maroon recorded 86 points (49-37=86) in 154 games in parts of three seasons with the Oilers (2015-18).

FAST FACTS: The Wild’s 28 road wins, 61 wins and 132 points against the Oilers are its most against any team. The Wild is 23-8-1 in the last 32 games against the Oilers and is 17-4-0 in its last 21 games in Edmonton, including an eight-game win streak (2/21/13-1/31/17) – the longest road win streak in team history.

Seattle Kraken

All-Time Wild Record: 4-2-0 (2-1-0 at Xcel Energy Center, 2-1-0 at Seattle)

2022-23: Minnesota went 2-1-0 against Seattle last season. The Wild fell by a 4-0 score at Xcel Energy Center (11/3), earned a 1-0 win at Climate Pledge Arena (11/11) and won the series finale 5-1 in Saint Paul (3/27).

CONNECTIONS: LW Marcus Johansson recorded 23 points (6-17-23) in 51 games with Seattle in 2021-22. 

FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 4-1-0 in its last five games against Seattle, outscoring the Kraken 16-10.

For more information on this week's opponents, check out the Wild Week below.