The Wild haven't had much success at home, but they'll have plenty of opportunity to change that beginning Thursday when the team plays the first of seven in a row at Xcel Energy Center against the Penguins.
"It's going to be massive," forward Tyson Jost said. "We need to make this a hard building to play in. Our fans are great. It's a hostile environment. So, we need to feed off that energy."
This homestand is kicking off without goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
He suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday at Nashville and was placed on injured reserve. The Wild recalled Zane McIntyre from Iowa in the American Hockey League to back up Filip Gustavsson.
"Even if Marc-Andre Fleury was still in the lineup, we have a lot of confidence in Gus and we've talked about it that he was going to get some starts," coach Dean Evason said.
"Not that we projected anything down the road. We're basically playing every second day here, so he was going to play regardless. Maybe he'll get a few more; obviously, it depends on how long Flower's out. But I know the team feels very good, we certainly feel very good, that he'll get the job done."
Gustavsson taking over the crease isn't the only lineup change the Wild will make.
Jost is also penciled in after sitting three games as a healthy scratch. The winger has zero goals and three assists in 11 games.
