Wild gameday
Wild at Anaheim game preview
9 p.m. at Anaheim • Honda Center • Streamed on ESPN+ and Hulu, 100.3-FM
Wild update: The Wild debuts with a back-to-back on the road against two of its rivals from last season's West Division, the Ducks and Kings. Not only did the Wild go 3-1 in Anaheim, but the team won seven of the eight matchups overall; its seven-game win streak against the Ducks is the longest in the head-to-head series. LW Kirill Kaprizov had a team-high eight points vs. Anaheim last season, while Fs Joel Eriksson Ek, Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman and D Jared Spurgeon each scored three goals. The Wild is 2-7-1 when opening on the road.
Ducks update: Anaheim began its season at home on Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Winnipeg. The game looked like a template for how the rebuilding Ducks can have success this season in their return to the Pacific Division: contributions from their youth and veterans. F Mason McTavish registered his first NHL goal and became the youngest scorer in Anaheim history at 18 years, 256 days. Kevin Shattenkirk, Adam Henrique and Rickard Rakell also had goals. Other up-and-comers on the Ducks are F Trevor Zegras and D Jamie Drysdale, both of whom are back in the lineup after making their NHL debuts last season.
The Wild scored two goals late in the third period to tie the score against the Flames, completing a 2-0-1 road trip even though Kirill Kaprizov didn’t dress.