6:30 p.m. at Detroit • Little Caesars Arena • FSN, 100.3-FM
Gameday preview: Wild at Detroit
February 27, 2020 at 7:07AM
Playoff push continues against weak Red Wings
Preview: The Wild, winner of three of its past four games, will try to continue its push toward the playoffs against the Red Wings, who have lost seven of eight and have only 34 points — 16 fewer than next-to-last-place Los Angeles. Minnesota defeated Detroit 4-2 on Jan. 22 in their only other meeting this season as Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarello each had a goal and an assist and Matt Dumba had two assists. Goalie Devan Dubnyk stopped 25 of 27 shots. … With 67 points, the Wild is three behind Nashville for the Western Conference's final wild-card playoff spot, and both have 20 games remaining. Winnipeg and Arizona also have 70 points, but the Wild has three games in hand on the Jets and four on the Coyotes.
Players to watch: Wild F Kevin Fiala has eight goals and six assists in his past 11 games, including five multipoint efforts. … Red Wings G Jimmy Howard is 15-5-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 23 starts vs. the Wild. F Valtteri Filppula has five goals and 15 assists in 39 games vs. the Wild.
Numbers: Wild C Mikko Koivu scored twice in a 5-4 win over Columbus on Tuesday, ending a 29-game goal-scoring drought, while C Eric Staal ended a 11-game string without a goal. … The Wild, which plays at Columbus on Friday, is 4-1-1 this season in the opener of back-to-back games but 2-3-1 in the second game.
Injuries: Wild C Luke Kunin (upper body) and D Carson Soucy (upper body) are out. Detroit C Robby Fabbri suffered a knee-on-knee hit in a 4-1 loss to New Jersey on Tuesday, and his status is uncertain. F Adam Erne (undisclosed) missed Tuesday's game and is day to day.
Randy Johnson
about the writer
The Wild’s Black Friday matinée is against Chicago, a team that doesn’t win often, but when it does, it seems to be at the expense of some of the NHL’s best teams.
