Wild at Coyotes preview: Broadcast info, injury report and analysis
The Wild have to make up some lost ground in the playoff race after a three-day break. Arizona should be a good start.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 7, 2024 at 1:07AM
at Arizona Coyotes, Mullett Arena, 8 p.m. Thursday
TV; radio: BSNX; 100.3 FM
Stats and analytics: Tap here.
Pregame reading: Wild re-sign defenseman Zach Bogosian.
Sarah McLellan’s analysis:
Opening bell: The out-of-town scoreboard wasn’t kind to the Wild (29-27-6) while they were on a three-day break, but the results could have been worse. Nashville’s winning streak ended, and St. Louis split a back-to-back. Still, Seattle won two in a row to gain a three-point edge over the Wild, who are nine points back of a playoff spot. But they’ll have a chance to add to their point total in a hurry: Their visit to Arizona (25-32-5) is the start of a back-to-back and three games in four days.
Watch him: Wild LW Kirill Kaprizov is one goal shy of reaching 30 for a third straight season. Kaprizov scored his third hat trick of the season Sunday night in a 4-3 victory over San Jose. Only Toronto’s Auston Matthews, with six, has more hat tricks this season. After tallying 13 goals in his first 34 games, Kaprizov has 16 over his last 21 to become the Wild’s goal leader.
Injuries: Wild LW Marcus Foligno (lower body), LW Marcus Johansson (lower body), RW Pat Maroon (back) and D Jared Spurgeon (hip/back). Coyotes C Travis Boyd (torn pectoral muscle).
Forecast: Until recent wins vs. Ottawa and Washington, the Coyotes were in a freefall, dropping 14 in a row. That skid included a 3-1 loss to the Wild on Feb. 14, and the Wild need an encore performance to try to make up some of the ground they’ve lost in the Western Conference wild-card race. They barely got by the lowly Sharks when they were finishing off their last three-game, four-day stretch, but fatigue shouldn’t be an issue against Arizona since the Wild haven’t played since Sunday. If they can get another prolific effort from Kaprizov, the Wild should be in good shape. But sharper execution from everyone would also go a long way for the Wild in their final game before the NHL trade deadline Friday.
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The Wild are off to one of the best starts in franchise history, and Kirill Kaprizov is tied for the NHL scoring lead.
