DENVER — First place in the Central Division is on the line Wednesday night when the Wild kick off a two-game trip at Colorado, and the Wild will have a different look for the matchup.
Ryan Reaves (upper-body injury) and Brandon Duhaime (sick) won't play, leaving the Wild will 11 forwards. They'll fill out their lineup with seven defensemen: John Klingberg will return from an upper-body injury that sidelined him the last three games, and veteran defenseman Alex Goligoski could take shifts at forward. Filip Gustavsson gets the start in net.
"A lot of different options for us, and we feel very comfortable," coach Dean Evason said. "Talked to Goose this morning that he's very comfortable playing forward. He's excited about it if he gets the opportunity."
As for what's at stake, only one point separates the Wild and Avalanche in the standings.
The Wild continue to lead the Central Division since bumping Dallas from the top spot last weekend; Colorado, though, has one game at-hand over the Wild and that means the Avalanche hold the tiebreaker if both teams end up even in points at the end of the night.
Over the last 20 games, the Wild have been on a roll, going 15-1-4. But so have the Avalanche: They're 15-4-1 since Feb. 17.
"It's a big game for both teams," Ryan Hartman said. "I'd expect them to bring their best, and they should expect us to bring our best."
Projected lineup:
