The Wild has been idle for only two days but in that time, the team has fallen out of a playoff spot after getting leapfrogged by the Arizona Coyotes.
But the team can climb back into the second wild card berth in the Western Conference with a win Thursday at Xcel Energy Center over the Dallas Stars and if it gets help from the Anaheim Ducks, who take on the Coyotes.
"When you're growing up and playing in the driveway, these are the kind of games you're describing," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It's not a Game 7, but it's a five-point difference with 11 games to go if we're not successful."
Forward Luke Kunin will be back in the lineup after missing the previous two games with an upper-body injury after he was crushed with an open-ice hit last Thursday in Tampa. He'll remain at center, a position that continues to get tested by injury. Joel Eriksson Ek is sidelined with a lower-body injury, an issue that Boudreau hopes doesn't keep him out of commission more than a week.
"He's a young player that plays with energy and does the right things defensively, and he's a right-hander," Boudreau said of Kunin. "So we're glad to have him back."
Wild players will encounter Stars goalie Ben Bishop in the offensive zone. Bishop is on a tear of late, posting three consecutive shutouts. He hasn't allowed a goal in a career-best 204:20.
"You gotta get to the net and get in front of him and do the things that are going to aggravate him," Boudreau said. "If he sees everything, he's stopping it right now. So you gotta do things so he can't see the puck."
Projected lineup:
