Wild vs Hurricanes: Game Preview and Line Combinations
The Minnesota Wild (5-6-3) play on the road tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0) in the first half of a back-to-back series. The Wild make only one change to their lineup.
Defense Pairing Update
Daemon Hunt will make his season debut on the third defensive pair alongside Zeev Buium. Hunt, 23, has not appeared in an NHL game since October and will be playing on his offside. David Jiricek, who has no points in ten games and a minus-3 rating, is out of the lineup.
Fourth Line and Scratch Situation
Minnesota keeps its fourth line intact, meaning Danila Yurov will sit as a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game. The line of Ben Jones, Yakov Trenin, and Tyler Pitlick has played three games together, all wins for the Wild. Yurov scored his first NHL goal when playing as the third line center in New York, a game the Wild won, but has since been scratched for two games that also ended in victories.
Danila Yurov being scratched for three straight games will be an important storyline to watch.
Potential Return and Forward Lines
Mats Zuccarello is expected 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: Daemon Hunt debuts for the Wild tonight as lineup questions linger around Danila Yurov's healthy scratch status amid an otherwise stable roster.