CALGARY, Alberta — After a team-bonding activity set against the Canadian Rockies and a full-team practice, the Wild are finally back in action on Wednesday night to take on the Flames in the second stop on a four-game road trip.
Streaks for Wild and Kirill Kaprizov on the line tonight in Calgary
Four victories in a row have put the Wild in better position in the West as they start a Canadian road trip.
December 7, 2022 at 6:34PM
"We like to play a physical brand of hockey, forecheck, aggressive," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "They do, as well. I'm sure it'll set up for a real good game."
The Wild has won four in a row, their best win streak of the season, and there will plenty to watch for as they vie for No. 5.
Kirill Kaprizov is on a 12-game point streak, tying Mikael Granlund (2016-17) and Kevin Fiala (2021-22) for the longest in franchise history.
His stretch of six straight games with a goal has also matched the best goal streak in team history, a record Kaprizov tied for the first time last season; Brian Rolston (2007-07) and Nino Niederreiter (2017-18) also had six-game tears.
Joel Eriksson Ek is also on point (six games) and goal (three) streaks, while starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is on a 3-0 run.
Fleury was also in net in the team's last game, a 6-5 shootout win at Dallas after the Wild coughed up a four-goal lead in the third period but a result nonetheless that kept their recent surge intact.
"It's a big confidence boost for everybody," Ryan Reaves said. "We're just going to keep rolling on this road trip."
Projected lineup:
Kirill Kaprizov-Sam Steel-Mats Zuccarello
Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Marcus Foligno
Nic Petan-Frederick Gaudreau-Matt Boldy
Mason Shaw-Connor Dewar-Ryan Reaves
Jake Middleton-Jared Spurgeon
Alex Goligoski-Matt Dumba
Jon Merrill-Calen Addison
Marc-Andre Fleury
Key numbers:
6-1: Performance by the Wild over their last seven games.
6: Straight games in which the Wild has scored on the power play.
12: Points racked up by Mats Zuccarello in his past 12 games.
14-5-1: Record for Fleury in 21 career starts vs. Calgary.
19: Points for Kaprizov during his 12-game point streak.
About the Flames:
This is the last test on a five-game homestand for the Flames, and they're 3-1 so far. Calgary is coming off a 3-2 win vs. Arizona at home on Monday. Center Elias Lindholm scored that night for a third consecutive game. His nine goals overall are tied for the team lead with center Nazem Kadri. Lindholm and Kadri are tied for first in scoring on the Flames with 19 points apiece.
The Wild have been the surprise of the league as their high-scoring winger makes a shambles of team scoring records.
