Wild vs Hurricanes: Game Preview and Line Combinations
The Minnesota Wild (5-6-3) will face the Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0) tonight on the road as part of a back-to-back series. The team makes only one change to its lineup.
Defense Debut and Line Changes
Daemon Hunt will make his season debut, joining the third defensive pair alongside Zeev Buium. Hunt, 23, hasn’t played an NHL game since October. It will be interesting to observe how the Wild use this pair on the road since they have the last line change and Hunt will play on his offside. David Jiricek will be out of the lineup after recording zero points in ten games and a minus-3 rating.
Healthy Scratch and Forward Lines
Danila Yurov remains a healthy scratch for the third straight game as the Wild keep their fourth line intact. The trio of Ben Jones, Yakov Trenin, and Tyler Pitlick has played together for three games, with the Wild winning all three.
"Yurov played in one of the two games as the third line center in New York and scored his first NHL goal, but was scratched for the last two games, both wins for the Wild."
Yurov’s continued absence raises questions about his immediate future with the team.
Probable Return and Forward Lines
Mats Zuccarello is probable to return for Saturday’s game.
- Kirill Kaprizov – Marco Rossi – Marcus Johansson
- Vladimir Tarasenko – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
- Marcus Foligno – Ryan Hartman – Vinnie Hinostroza
Author’s summary: Minnesota’s lineup adjustments highlight a key debut and ongoing roster questions as the team battles Carolina on the road.