Jonas Brodin will miss tonight's game with a lower body injury. A crucial in for this tough road matchup with the Stars in Dallas. Former Star Alex Goligoski will slot in for Brodin along side of Matt Dumba.
The other big change in the Wild lineup is Ryan Hartman will once again center Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the top trio. This is a move that in my opinion is long overdue. The Wild offense has been sputtering of late and getting both Hartman and the Wild's top duo back together hopefully does the trick.
Sam Steel moves into Hartman's place with Freddy Gaudreau and Matt Boldy. It is no secret the Wild need to improve the secondary scoring, and the is top of the list for GM, Bill Guerin as the trade deadline approaches.
The playoffs are not a foregone conclusion by any stretch, but the Wild are not in a bad spot either. The sprint to the finish is going to be exciting with every point magnified.
Beating teams ahead of them in the standings is also a good measuring stick forbthis Wild club as well. They need to establish themselves capable of winning against playoff competition.
Filip Gustavsson gets the net tonight for the key Central Division clash.
It's always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!