7 P.M. VS. CAROLINA • XCEL ENERGY CENTER • FSN, 100.3 FM
Wild-Carolina game preview
February 14, 2015 at 4:56AM
Preview: The Wild has won four in a row at home and it itearns a point it will equal the team's longest overall point streak in franchise history (10 games). The Wild is 7-0-2 in its past nine, 7-0-1 since the All-Star break. It is 9-1-2 since goalie Devan Dubnyk arrived from Arizona in a Jan. 14 trade. The Wild has allowed 17 goals (1.4 goals per game) since after allowing 58 goals (4.1 per game) in the previous 2-8-4 stretch. The Hurricanes, the NHL's second-lowest scoring team at 2.13 goals per game, are 2-2-2 in their past six.
Players to watch: Dubnyk has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of 12 starts. He is 9-1-1 with a 1.48 goals-against average, .943 save percentage and four shutouts. RW Jason Pominville has three goals in three games after none in the previous 12. LW Zach Parise ranks 12th in the NHL with 22 goals and is tied for 11th with eight power-play goals. Eric Staal leads Carolina with 17 goals and is tied with South St. Paul's Justin Faulk for the team lead with 32 points.
Numbers: During the Wild's 9-1-2 streak, the Wild has scored first in all nine victories and is 0-1-2 when its opponent scored first. … The Wild is 22-for-22 on the penalty kill in eight games since the All-Star break. … The Wild is 2-7 against the Metropolitan Division. The 'Canes are 11-16-4 against the West.
Injuries: Wild LW Jason Zucker (collarbone), LW Ryan Carter (upper body), LW Matt Cooke (sports hernia) and D Keith Ballard (concussion) are out. Hurricanes D Ryan Murphy (lower body) is out.
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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.
