WINNIPEG — The Wild kicks off the second half of its season Tuesday night at Winnipeg, and the team has a lengthy winning streak in the balance.
Before the All-Star break, the Wild rattled off six straight victories and is on a season-high 10-game point streak overall. Both runs are at stake against a Jets squad that the Wild has already defeated twice this season: 6-5 in overtime on Oct. 19 and 7-1 on Nov. 26 at Xcel Energy Center.
"That's the [result] we'll remind the group about tonight because clearly they will be watching tape of that regardless of how long it's been or who's in our lineup or what have you," coach Dean Evason said, referring to the previous matchup between the two teams. "They'll be ready for us, and certainly we need to be ready for them."
Winger Marcus Foligno will return for this Central Division clash after missing two games with a hip injury, reuniting one of the most dominating lines in the NHL with winger Jordan Greenway and center Joel Eriksson Ek.
Defenseman Matt Dumba (upper-body injury) remains out, and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen will start in net. He has yet to face the Jets in his NHL career.
"It's about being mentally sharp in the first period," center Nico Sturm said. "That's the biggest thing. We haven't played in six days; I'm not sure about them.
"We just want to keep going where we left off."
Projected lineup:
