The Wild utilized a different top six on defense last game for the first time this season, but the usual crew will be reunited Thursday in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.
Greg Pateryn will reenter the lineup after missing the 4-3 loss to the Coyotes Tuesday due to illness.
"It kind of snuck on me before bed [Monday]," Pateryn said. "Just kind of progressively got a little worse. Was able to get it out of my system in a day, which is nice. I got my energy back, so I'm looking forward to get back in."
Pateryn was absent for a deflating loss in which the Wild blew a two-goal lead in the third period to Arizona, but recalibrating against a competitive Blue Jackets club isn't necessarily going to be easy for the Wild.
"We have to be in their faces and not let them skate," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "If we let them go from blue line to blue line unmolested, then we're going to be in our end all night and we don't want to be there. I think it's a similar situation to Winnipeg's game, so it's going to be a man's game. There's going to be a lot of physicality.
"I think winning battles is going to be a premium if you want to succeed tonight. And every time we play these guys, it always seems to be a close game. We haven't really been on the positive end of it, but it's been always really close. So that's what I anticipate tonight."
No.1 netminder Devan Dubnyk will be back between the pipes for the Wild, his second start in three days after a recent lull that included a five-day hiatus due to downtime in the schedule and a stomach bug.
"I want to get playing," said Dubnyk, who made just 10 saves in that loss to the Coyotes. "I try not to fuss over it because it's one of those things that's out of your control. When you can get into a rhythm of playing every other day, you kind of roll with it."
