Wild-Colorado gameday preview
March 8, 2015 at 4:00PM
5 p.m. VS. COLORADO • XCEL CENTER • TV: FSN (100.3-FM)
Preview: The Wild has won five in a row and eight of nine, and the team is 18-3-2 in its past 23 games. The Wild now gets Colorado — its budding archrival — for the fifth and final time this season. The Wild has outscored the Avalanche 12-1 in four victories this season.
Players to watch: Devin Dubnyk's 37 saves in Friday's victory at Carolina was his most in a Wild sweater. His 23 consecutive starts are the most in the league this season. C Mikael Granlund, who had the game-winning goal Friday, has five points in his past four games. Colorado RW Jarome Iginla and LW Gabriel Landeskog each scored in a 4-0 victory at Columbus on Saturday and share the team lead with 44 points.
Numbers: The Wild's 79 points are the most it has had through Game 65 of a season; the Wild's 33 points in 19 games since the All-Star break are best in the league.
Injuries: Wild D Jared Spurgeon (head) and W Thomas Vanek (illness) are questionable. D Marco Scandella (oblique), LW Jason Zucker (collarbone), LW Ryan Carter (upper body), LW Matt Cooke (sports hernia) and D Keith Ballard (concussion) are out. Colorado C Jesse Winchester (concussion), D Ryan Wilson (shoulder), LW Jamie McGinn (back), LW Patrick Bordeleau (kneecap), RW Borna Rendulic (broken leg), D Erik Johnson (knee) and C Nathan MacKinnon (foot) are out.
Kent Youngblood
about the writer
Team captain Jared Spurgeon became the latest player to be sidelined on Tuesday, the victim of a dirty hit.
