WILD GAMEDAY
vs. Columbus at Xcel Energy Center: 7 p.m. Saturday
TV; radio: BSN; 100.3 FM
Stats, odds and analytics: Tap here.
Pregame reading: La Velle E. Neal's column on the Wild goalies.
For the fans: The Wild are 6-0-1 in their last seven games vs. the Blue Jackets.
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Sarah McLellan's preview:
Opening bell: The Wild are searching for more offense after a 7-3 glitch against Los Angeles and adjusted two of their lines at practice on Friday, flipping Pat Maroon and Sammy Walker. Maroon joins Marcus Johansson and Joel Eriksson Ek, who has a team-high four goals, while Walker is now with Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar. But the focus is on better defense, too: the Wild (2-2) are averaging four goals against per game.
Watch him: Wild LW Kirill Kaprizov has a goal in back-to-back games, and he's been dynamic vs. Columbus in his career. In just four matchups, Kaprizov has scored a whopping seven times, including a hat trick last season at Xcel Energy Center.