It’s a battle of the Hughes brothers as the Wild hosts the New Jersey Devils tonight at 7:00 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3. This marks the third time Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes will all skate in the same NHL game - New Jersey is 2-0-0 in the previous two meetings (Dec. 5, 2023, and Oct. 30, 2024). In 10 career games against the Devils, Quinn Hughes owns eight points (0-8=8), including a three-assist night on Jan. 6, 2024. Jack Hughes owns three points (0-3=3) in six games against Minnesota, while Luke has tallied six points (1-5=6) in five career games against the Wild.
Minnesota, coming into tonight’s game off a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday night, has earned a point in 15 of its last 17 games (11-2-4), and its 26 points is tied for the most in the NHL since Dec. 8. Dating back to Nov. 1, the Wild has earned a point in 16-of-17 games played in Saint Paul (12-1-4), and its 28 home points is the second-most in the NHL over that span. Per Stats Perform, the Wild owns a 7-0-2 record in its last nine games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Jesper Wallstedt will get the start for Minnesota tonight. He owns a 12-2-4 record on the season with a 2.28 GAA, a .926 SV% and four shutouts. In his eight starts at Grand Casino Arena, Wallstedt owns a 6-1-1 record with a 2.41 GAA, a .930 SV% and two shutouts. This marks the first time he will be facing the Devils in his career.
The Wild will be facing a New Jersey team on the second night of a back-to-back, after the Devils fell to the Winnipeg Jets last night, 4-3, extending their losing streak to four games. Jacob Markstrom will be in net for New Jersey—he owns a 10-11-1 record on the season, with a 3.48 GAA and a .878 SV% in 22 games (21 starts). In his career against the Wild, Markstrom owns a 9-3-2 record with a 2.19 GAA, a .925 SV% and one shutout.
Players to watch for Minnesota:
Brock Faber: The blueliner comes into tonight’s riding a four-game point-streak (2-4=6) and is the owner of 12 points (4-8=12) and a plus-11 rating over his last 14 games. He’s T-3rd among NHL defensemen in goals and ranks T-7th in points over that stretch.
Mats Zuccarello: In 36 career games against the Devils, Zuccarello owns 24 points (6-18=24) and a plus-15 rating. In his last seven games dating back to Dec. 27, Zuccarello has collected seven points (3-4=7) and has a point (1-1=2) in consecutive games.
