Two losses last week weren't the only reason why the Wild hasn't been able to climb out of third place in the West Division.
The teams the Wild is chasing have been winning lately to stay ahead, especially the Golden Knights, but the Wild can slow down that momentum Monday when it hosts first-place Vegas at Xcel Energy Center.
"They're a good team," coach Dean Evason said. "We think we're a good team. They play the game hard. They play right, no different than the team we just played. It could go either way most nights."
Cam Talbot will be back in net for the Wild after backing up Kaapo Kahkonen on Saturday when the Wild rallied for a 4-3 overtime win against the Blues. Talbot is 2-1-1 this season vs. Vegas, and one of those wins was one of his best performances of the season – a 35-save effort in a 3-2 shootout win on April 1.
The rest of the Wild's lineup will remain the same from Saturday.
Marcus Johansson missed the game due to an upper-body injury; he skated Monday morning and is fine, Evason said, but the team wants to get him "some good quality ice" before deciding when he should return.
Although the Wild moved Nico Sturm up to the Kevin Fiala and Victor Rask line in the third period Saturday, Evason said the team likes Sturm at center – which suggests he'll be back up the middle anchoring the fourth line against the Golden Knights.
Projected lineup:
