The Wild and Mammoth meet for the final time tonight at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+ and KFAN FM 100.3. Minnesota earned a shootout win in the first ever meeting between the two teams in the 2023-24 season and has since dropped the last five meetings against the Mammoth—getting outscored 23-6. After the Wild’s most recent loss to Utah back on February 28, forward Mats Zuccarello said “I think these guys have kind of been our kryptonite the last couple of years. They’re a tough team to play against.” Tonight could be a night where the Wild finally has a slight edge as Utah comes into tonight’s game off an overtime loss to the Blackhawks last night. In games on the second night of a back-to-back, Utah owns a record of 3-4-1.
One other key factor in tonight’s contest will be special teams. Utah enters tonight with only nine power-play goals (45 opportunities) in its last 19 games dating back to January 11, which is tied for the sixth fewest in the NHL over that span. On the other side, Minnesota owns the ninth-best penalty kill percentage in the NHL since January 10 (47-58, 81.1%) and has only allowed two power-play goals in its last five games (11-13, 84.6%).
Filip Gustavsson will get the start for Minnesota tonight. Dating back to January 17, he owns a record of 9-1-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .912 SV%, and has won his last two starts. In games played at Grand Casino Arena this season, Gustavsson has an 11-5-6 record with a 2.54 GAA, a .908 SV% and one shutout. For Utah, Karel Vejmelka will get the nod. He owns a 30-17-2 record with a 2.64 GAA, a .899 SV% and one shutout on the season. In two starts against the Wild this season, he is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .931 SV%.
Players to Watch:
Matt Boldy: In his six career games against the Mammoth, Boldy owns four points (1-3=4), including a two-point (1-1=2) outing back in February. After putting together a 10-game point streak, Boldy has been held off the score sheet in his last two games and will be looking to make an impact in tonight’s contest.
Quinn Hughes: He comes into tonight’s game with a point (1-4=5) in four consecutive games and 24 points (3-21=24) in his last 16 games dating back to January 17. After registering points (1-2=3) in his first two career games against the Mammoth, Hughes has been held off the score sheet in his last three games against Utah.
Kirill Kaprizov: He owns a current four-game home goal streak, the longest by a Wild player since Matt Boldy in 2024-25, per Stats Perform. In his last 16 games dating back to January 17, Kaprizov owns 24 points (11-13=24) and seven power-play goals.
