Thursday, November 21, 2024

NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (25-14-4) at Carolina Hurricanes (27-9-8)

MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

SERIES NOTES
CAROLINA HURRICANES
All-Time Wild Record: 14-9-7 (10-3-4 at Xcel Energy Center, 4-6-3 at Carolina)

2022-23: Minnesota won the series-opening matchup, 2-1, at Xcel Energy Center (11/19)…C Sam Steel led the Wild with two points (1-1=2)…D Alex Goligoski also scored a goal (1-0=1), netting the game winner in overtime…G Filip Gustavsson stopped 20 of 21 shots faced for Minnesota…C Sebastian Aho (1-0=1) scored the Panthers’ lone goal, assisted by C Martin Necas (0-1=1) and RW Stefan Noesen (0-1=1)…G Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 19 of 21 shots faced for Carolina.

WILD LEADERS: RW Mats Zuccarello leads the Wild with 33 points (9-24=33) in 36 games against the Hurricanes…Goligoski has 17 points (6-11=17) in 26 contests…D Jared Spurgeon owns 14 points (1-13=14) in 16 matches…LW Marcus Foligno has nine points (3-6=9) in 21 games.

WILD GOALIES: G Marc-Andre Fleury is 19-10-6 with a 2.46 GAA, a .916 SV% and three shutouts in 36 games (34 starts) against the Hurricanes…Gustavsson is 1-0-0 with a 0.98 GAA and a .952 SV% in his lone start against Carolina.

HURRICANES LEADERS: C Paul Stastny leads Carolina with 43 points (17-26=43) in 72 games against the Wild…D Brent Burns has 28 points (8-20=28) in 40 contests…LW Max Pacioretty owns 20 points (11-9=20) in 23 games…Aho has 15 points (6-9=15) in 11 games… LW Teuvo Teravainen owns 12 points (3-9=12) in 18 matches.

HURRICANES GOALIES: G Frederik Andersen is 6-5-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .913 SV% in 11 starts vs. Minnesota…G Antti Raanta is 4-7-0 with a 3.26 GAA and a .884 SV% in 14 games (11 starts) vs. the Wild.

FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 11-3-3 in its last 17 games against Carolina…The Wild is on an nine-game point streak against the Hurricanes at Xcel Energy Center (7-0-2) and is 10-2-2 in its last 14 home games, scoring three-plus goals in 13 of those contests.

ON THE POWER PLAY
• The Wild have converted 30.3 percent (20 of 66) of power-play opportunities at home this season, third-best in the NHL.

• Minnesota recorded a power-play goal in a season-high six consecutive games from Nov. 23 – Dec. 4, going eight-for-19 (42.1 pct.) during that span. The streak tied for the fifth-longest in franchise history.

PENALTY KILLERS
• Since Nov. 8, Minnesota is tied for seventh in the NHL with a 81.8 penalty-kill percentage (90 for 110).

• Minnesota is seventh in the NHL with a 83.8 penalty-kill percentage (62 of 74) on the road this season.

SHORT (HANDED) KINGS
• Minnesota is tied for second in the NHL with seven shorthanded goals this season.

• The total is tied for the team’s highest in franchise history through a season’s first 43 games (seven SHG in 2006-07 season).

• Minnesota has not eclipsed seven shorthanded goals in season since recording nine during the 2008-09 campaign.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
• Since Oct. 25, the Wild is tied for fifth in the NHL with 24 wins.

• Since Oct. 25, Minnesota is giving up 2.39 goals per game (second in the NHL), allowing 29.2 shots per game (eighth in the NHL) and recording a .918 save percentage (third in the NHL).

• The Wild recorded an seven-game home win streak from Nov. 27 – Dec. 18, tied for second-longest home win streak in the NHL this season.

• Minnesota is tied for sixth in the NHL with 13 home victories this season.

• The Wild is 10-3-0 in its last 13 home games, scoring 3.38 goals per game (GPG) while recording a 2.23 goals against average (GAA) and .919 save percentage (SV%).

• Since Nov. 23, Minnesota ranks 10th in the NHL in home GPG, third in home GAA and sixth in home SV%.

• Minnesota went 55-26-7 (.665) during the 2022 calendar year, ranking fifth in the NHL in wins and sixth in points (117).

• Within the Western Conference, the Wild ranked second in wins and third in points during 2022.

• The Wild recorded 32 home victories during the 2022 calendar year, tied for second-most in the NHL. The team’s 66 home points were tied for sixth-most in the NHL.

• LW Kirill Kaprizov ranked second in the NHL in power-play goals (22), tied for fourth in power-play points (42), fifth in goals (55, sixth in scoring (117 points) and tied for ninth in shots on goal (324) during 2022.

• D Jared Spurgeon ranked fifth in the NHL with a plus-43 rating in 2022. He ranks first in Wild history in career plus/minus rating at plus-99.

• Minnesota has collected a point in six consecutive road contests, going 4-0-2 during that span.

• Minnesota holds a 12-6-3 record on the road this season. Its .643 road win percentage ranks eighth in the NHL.

• The Wild is 6-1-2 in its last nine road games, collecting 14 points in that stretch.

• Minnesota went 22-14-5 on the road last season, reaching 20-plus road wins in a season for the fifth time in franchise history

CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:

LAST GAME
The Hurricanes suffered a 4-3 shootout loss against the Vancouver Canucks at PNC Arena on Sunday. Sebastian Aho, Jordan Martinook and Paul Stastny each scored for Carolina, as Aho extended his point streak to five games. Jaccob Slavin posted two assists, while Pyotr Kochetkov made 29 save in net but suffered his fourth straight defeat.

INJURY REPORT
Jake Gardiner, upper-body, missed 44 games (10/12-1/15)
Ondrej Kase, concussion, missed 43 games (10/14-1/15)
Max Pacioretty, lower-body, missed two games (1/14-1/15)
2022-23 Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 177

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 16 Reassigned Pyotr Kochetkov to Chicago (AHL)
Jan. 11 Activated Frederik Andersen from injured reserve
Jan. 5 Assigned Cavan Fitzgerald to Chicago (AHL)
Jan. 4 Activated Max Pacioretty from the injured non-roster list, placed Ondrej Kase on long-term injured reserve and placed Cavan Fitzgerald on waivers

STREAKS
Sebastian Aho has recorded a point in five consecutive games (1/7-1/15: 2g, 5a)
Jordan Martinook has tallied a point in back-to-back games (1/14-1/15: 1g, 1a)

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT TIME TV RADIO
Jan. 19 Minnesota 7 p.m. BSSO HRN
Jan. 21 at NY Islanders 7:30 p.m. BSSO HRN
Jan. 25 at Dallas 8:30 p.m. BSSO HRN
Jan. 27 San Jose 7 p.m. BSSO HRN
Jan. 29 Boston 5 p.m. BSSO HRN

  • All times are Eastern | BSSO = Bally Sports South | HRN = Hurricanes Radio Network

HURRICANES vs. WILD SERIES NOTES
— The Hurricanes are facing the Wild in the second and final meeting between the teams during the 2022-23 season.

— Carolina and Minnesota have are meeting for the 32nd time in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds a 14-10-2-5 overall record, including a 9-2-0-2 home record.

— The Wild lead the season series 1-0-0 in 2021-22 (Hurricanes: 0-0-1), and they have won each of the teams’ last three matchups dating back to last season.

— Carolina suffered a 2-1 overtime loss against Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center on 11/19. Sebastian Aho scored the Hurricanes’ only goal, while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 19 of 21 shots faced in net.

— Sebastian Aho has registered 15 points (6g, 9a) in 11 career regular-season games against the Wild.

— Brent Burns was drafted by Minnesota in the first round (20th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft and recorded 183 points (55g, 128a) in 453 games with the Wild from 2003-11. He has since earned 28 points (8g, 20a) in 40 regular-season games against Minnesota.

— Brady Skjei is a native of Lakeville, Minn., and he played 109 games in three seasons at the University of Minnesota from 2012-15, posting 27 points (8g, 19a) and helping the team win the Big Ten Championship in 2015. Skjei has earned three points (2g, 1a) in 11 career games against the Wild.

— Paul Stastny has tallied 43 points (17g, 26a) in 72 career regular-season games against the Wild, and he has faced Minnesota 11 more times than any other active NHL player.

— Derek Stepan is a native of Hastings, Minn., and won back-to-back Tier I 18U national championships at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in 2007 and 2008. He ranks fourth in career points among active Minnesota-born NHL players and has recorded nine points (2g, 7a) in 21 career games against the Wild.

— Andrei Svechnikov has scored five goals in seven career regular-season games against Minnesota.

— Wild Head Coach Dean Evason played 434 games for the Whalers from 1985-91, registering 235 points (87g, 148a). Acquired from WSH along with Peter Sidorkiewicz in exchange for David Jensen on 3/12/85, he was traded to SJS in exchange for Dan Keczmer on 10/2/91.

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