Tonight the Wild get their first look at the Colorado and this time they will be facing the Avalanche with their former teammate, Darcy Kuemper between the pipes.
The Avalanche have not had the start they had envisioned but ate coming off a solid win Thursday over St. Louis 4-3.
The Wild have fared very well against their former back up goalie, Kuemper and primarily by getting him off his game. Kuemper has been easily rattled by Wild forwards camped out in front of Kuemper's goal crease. That should be something to watch for again tonight.
Of course the Wild have to be cautious to not take penalties of their own as the penalty kill has been subpar all season. That does not bode well as tonight's opponent brings will be the toughest group they have faced all season.
Mats Zuccarello and Rem Pitlick will miss the game in Covid-19 protocol while Alex Goligoski and Jordan Greenway are out due to injury.
Adam Beckman will make his NHL debut after leading the Wild in scoring in the preseason Beckman was the final cut but it was only a matter of time before he got the call. Beckman can score that was evident in his preseason play and now he gets his chance. Calen Addison also will play tonight and look for him to bring some added offense from the backend.
Expect the Wild to rebound after losing in Seattle on Thursday with a better offensive effort. Despite the defeat Cam Talbot was very good in net Thursday and will need to be just as strong tonight if the Wild are to prevail.
It's always Hockey Day in The State of Hockey!