The Wild, 3-0-3 in its past six games looks to rediscover its winning ways after consecutive overtime losses, the latest last night in Glendale, Ariz.
Same lineup tonight, meaning Darcy Kuemper back in the cage. Martin Jones starts for the Sharks.
The Wild, which has allowed five goals in the past five games but has only scored eight, is 0-1-3 in the back end of back-to-backs this season and plays in an arena in which it usually leaves demoralized.
The Wild is 0-4-1 in its past five visits to San Jose, 1-9-1 in 11 visits since March 5, 2009 and has won twice in 16 visits since Oct. 21, 2006.
The Sharks are winless in five games (0-4-1) this month. Under the NHL's playoff format, they sit third in the Pacific Division even though they have fewer points than Winnipeg, which sits ninth in the West.
We'll see if the Wild, which lost its sixth of seven overtimes this season, last night, has legs tonight. Last time the Wild played in Arizona, it paraded to the penalty box to the tune of seven times and had no legs the next night in, of course, an overtime loss at Los Angeles.
Last night in Arizona, the Wild gave Arizona six power plays, including two late in the third period and one in overtime.
We'll also see how chewed up the ice is. It's a double header at SAP Center today as the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim's AHL affiliate) vs. the San Jose Barracuda (the Sharks' affiliate). In fact, I saw Matt Hackett, whom the Wild traded while it was in this building in the Jason Pominville trade, and Minnesota residents Stu Bickel and Tim Jackman this morning.