ST. PAUL - Tonight marks the 101st time these two teams have faced off against each other. The Wild currently hold the edge with a 50-36-10 record with four ties. The Oilers will be without their star player Connor McDavid who has nine goals and 22 points in 20 career games against the Wild.
But even without McDavid, the Oilers are still a dangerous team and Wild head coach Dean Evason knows that. Edmonton still has Leon Draisaitl, who has recorded 12 goals and 19 points in 20 games against the Wild.
"They haven't gotten off to the start they have wanted either," Evason said on the Oilers. "They are going to be a desperate hockey club and we better be a desperate hockey club as well."
The Wild are already pretty banged up on the blue line without Jared Spurgeon, Alex Goligoski, and now possibly Jon Merrill. Yesterday, Merrill didn't participate in practice for a maintenance day but he was on the ice for morning skate.
So was Daemon Hunt, who the Wild called up previously. Hunt will partake in warmups before the Oilers game and so will Merrill. If the 31-year-old defenseman isn't ready to play tonight, then Hunt will make his NHL debut.
The rest of the lines will stay the same with the exception of Vinni Lettieri who was called up after Sammy Walker was sent down.
Projected Lines
Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Maroon
Foligno-Rossi-Gaudreau
Duhaime-Dewar-Lettieri
Defense pairs:
Brodin-Addison
Middleton-Faber
Merrill ( or Hunt)-Mermis
Starting goaltender: Gustavsson
Oilers' projected lines
Kane-Draisaitl-Hyman
Foegelle-Nugent Hopkins-Janmark
Holloway-McLeod-Brown
Erne-Ryan-Broberg
Defense pairs:
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Desharnais
Starting goaltender: Campbell
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