Wild Warmup: Minnesota at Nashville

The essentials

At the rink

Neither team is slated to skate at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday morning.
Zach Parise, who missed Thursday's game against the Ottawa Senators because of eye and upper-body injuries, could return to the lineup. Parise took part in morning skate on Thursday and practiced again on Friday, saying he expects to play.
Wild coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn't reveal his plan for a starting goaltender. Alex Stalock made 18 saves in the 5-1 win over Ottawa, his first start in a Wild uniform.
Here are the projected lineups:
WILD
Chris Stewart - Eric Staal - Nino Niederreiter
Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Mikael Granlund
Charlie Coyle - Martin Hanzal - Jason Pominville
Erik Haula - Joel Eriksson Ek - Ryan White
Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon
Marco Scandella - Matt Dumba
Jonas Brodin - Christian Folin
Alex Stalock
Devan Dubnyk
PREDATORS
Filip Forsberg - Ryan Johansen - Viktor Arvidsson
Colin Wilson - Colton Sissons - Craig Smith
P.A. Parenteau - Calle Jarnkrok - James Neal
Cody McLeod - Mike Fisher - Austin Watson
Roman Josi - Ryan Ellis
Mattias Ekholm - P.K. Subban
Matt Irwin - Yannick Weber
Pekka Rinne
Juuse Saros

The opponent

Entering a crucial weekend of play, the Nashville Predators will be playing the first of back-to-back games against the two teams directly ahead of them in the Central Division standings. After hosting Minnesota on Saturday, the Preds will hop a quick flight to St. Louis for a game against the Blues that could go a long way toward deciding postseason positioning. The Predators are also jockeying for position in the wild card standings, beginning the day Friday one point behind the Calgary Flames for the top wild card position, a spot that likely avoids a first-round matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Connections

• Wild defenseman Ryan Suter was the seventh overall pick by Nashville in the 2003 NHL Draft. He scored 238 points in 542 games for the Predators from 2005-12.
• Dubnyk played in two games for Nashville in 2014.
• Predators assistant coach Phil Housley is a native of South St. Paul and is the former head coach at Stillwater Area High School.

Balanced attack

The Wild is tied for third in the NHL with five players who have totaled at least 50 points this season. It ties the franchise record for most players to hit 50 points in a season, joining 2006-07. The Wild also has two players with at least 60 points, seven players with at least 40 points and 11 players with at least 30 points.