The Wild are set to square off against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight to begin a three-game road trip.
The Wild are set to face off against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight to kick off a three-game road trip which includes a back-to-back today and tomorrow.
There are plenty of Minnesota connections from tonight's game against the Flyers. Only Ryan Hartman has played for the Flyers but Nick Seeler, Louie Belpedio, and Nic Deslauriers have all played for the Wild and currently play for the Flyers.
The Flyers play a very physical brand of hockey which will be something the Wild need to work their way through. They will do it already banged up without Jared Spurgeon, Freddy Gaudreau, Alex Goligoksi, and Matt Boldy.
Vinni Lettieri has called up last game against the Oilers and will play again tonight against the Flyers. Jujhar Khaira was also recalled from Iowa and will make his Wild debut tonight.
Also worth noting that Ryan Hartman is coming off of a 5 point game from Tuesday and with two points tonight, Hartman would match the Wild's franchise record for most points through a two-game span.
The last Wild player to achieve that feat was Kevin Fiala on April 22-24, 2022 with one goal and seven points in two games.
Hartman's linemate, Mats Zuccarello, enters tonight on a six-game point streak and could tie Andrew Brunette's seven game point streak in 2009-10 for the longest season-opening run in Wild history.
With the back-to-back, Filip Gustavsson will start tonight for the Wild and Marc-Andre Fleury will start against the Capitals on Friday.
Projected Lines
Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Maroon
Foligno-Rossi-Lettieri
Duhaime-Dewar-Khaira
Defense pairs:
Brodin-Faber
Middleton-Addison
Merrill (or Hunt) - Mermis
Flyers projected lines
Tippett-Couturier-Atkinson
Konecny-Laughton-Foerster
Farabee-Cates-Brink
Deslauriers-Poehling-Hathaway
Defense pairs:
York-Sanheim
Mete-Walker
Seeler-Belpedio