Wild at Winnipeg Jets
Wild gameday: Season's second half opens with contest in Winnipeg
Minnesota returns from All-Star break with third-best record in conference
February 7, 2022 at 8:18PM
7 p.m. Tuesday
Canada Life Centre
BSN 100.3-FM
Wild update: After a six-day break for the All-Star Game, the Wild returns with the third-best record in the Western Conference despite playing the fewest games. ... Backup G Kaapo Kahkonen will start tonight. ... RW Marcus Foligno returns but D Matt Dumba (upper body) went on injured reserve Monday, along with C Nick Bjugstad (upper body). Dumba should be OK by the weekend. ... F Mitchell Chaffee and D Kevin Czuczman were called up from Iowa. Chaffee, a former UMass All-America, hasn't played yet in the NHL. ... All-Star W Kirill Kaprizov (19-34-53) leads the teams in goals and assists and is eighth in the league in points. ... C Ryan Hartman leads the NHL in plus/minutes at +32.
Jets update: Coach Paul Maurice quit in mid-December and Dave Lowry took over. ... Winnipeg is 13th in the West after a rocky first half of the season. ... All-Star W Kyle Connor leads the team with 25 goals and 45 points. ... Captain Blake Wheeler missed six weeks because of a knee injury and has only two goals in 28 games. ... G Connor Hellebuyck (2.90, 9.10) won the Vezina in 2019-20. ... LW Nikolaj Ehlers (knee) is out and three players — F Pierre-Luc Dubois, F Austin Poganski and D Neal Pionk are in COVID protocols.
A 7-1 loss to Edmonton came with back-to-back home games just ahead and another injury in place, as the Wild placed defenseman Jake Middleton on IR and claimed veteran Travis Dermott off waivers.
