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    Dylan Loucks
    Dylan Loucks
    Jan 4, 2025, 22:00

    Here is everything you need to know before puck drop.

    Here is everything you need to know before puck drop.

    The Minnesota Wild (24-11-4) are back in action tonight to face the Carolina Hurricanes (23-13-2) on the road before they return back home in Minnesota for a few games. 

    The Hurricanes are coming off a win and are 5-4-1 in their last ten games. They currently have the NHL's best penalty kill (85.5%) and are sixth in the NHL on the power play (25%). 

    Minnesota ranks 30th in penalty kill (70.2%) and 20th in power play percentage (18.6%). They will be without its number one threat on the power play in Kirill Kaprizov for the fifth game in a row. 

    There will be only one change for the Wild tonight and it will be the goaltender. Filip Gustavsson will start against Carolina's Pyotr Kochetkov. Gustavsson is 17-6-3 on the year with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. 

    Kochetkov, 25, is 15-7-1 on the year with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. 

    The Wild are coming off a win and are 5-5-0 in their last ten games. 

    Here are tonight's projected lines for both teams (subject to change). 

    Wild's Projected Lines

    Matt Boldy - Marco Rossi - Mats Zuccarello

    Marcus Johansson - Joel Eriksson Ek - Ryan Hartman

    Marcus Foligno - Freddy Gaudreau - Yakov Trenin

    Devin Shore - Marat Khusnutdinov - Ben Jones

    Defense:

    Jonas Brodin - Brock Faber

    Declan Chisholm - Zach Bogosian

    Jon Merrill - Travis Dermott

    Starting Goaltender: Filip Gustavsson

    Scratched: Brendan Gaunce, Carson Lambos

    Injured: Kirill Kaprizov (lower), Jakub Lauko (lower), Jake Middleton (upper), Jared Spurgeon (lower).

    Hurricanes Projected Lines

    Jack Roslovic - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis 

    Andrei Svechnikov - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Marty Necas

    William Carrier - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook

    Eric Robinson - Jack Drury - Jackson Blake

    Defense:

    Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burns 

    Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield

    Ty Smith - Sean Walker

    Starting Goaltender: Pyotr Kochetkov

    Scratched: Riley Stillman

    Injured: Frederik Anderson (knee), Jesper Fast (neck), Tyson Jost (lower), Shayne Gostisbehere (upper). 

    How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on Fanduel Sports Network North. Anthony LaPanta will be on the play-by-play with Wes Walz as the color analyst and Kevin Gorg a reporter. The radio broadcast will be on KFAN FM 100.3 with Joe O'Donnell behind the mic doing the play-by-play. Tom Reid as the color analyst and Kevin Falness as the Studio Host.

    Let us know what you think by commenting below or on the Forum.

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