Wild vs Hurricanes: Game Preview and Line Combinations
The Minnesota Wild (5-6-3) are on the road tonight facing the Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0) in the first game of a back-to-back series.
Defense and Lineup Changes
Daemon Hunt will make his season debut as the Wild's third-pair defenseman alongside Zeev Buium. Hunt, 23, has not appeared in an NHL game since October. David Jiricek, who has no points in ten games and a minus-3 rating, will be out of the lineup.
Since the Wild are on the road with the last line change, it will be interesting to see how the Hunt-Buium pairing is utilized, especially as Hunt plays on his offside.
Healthy Scratch and Fourth Line Status
The Wild will maintain their fourth line again, meaning Danila Yurov will be a healthy scratch for the third straight game. The line featuring Ben Jones, Yakov Trenin, and Tyler Pitlick has played together for three games, during which the team is 3-0-0.
"Yurov played in one of the two games as third line center in New York and scored his first NHL goal in that game. He has been scratched in the last two games and the Wild won both."
Yurov’s continued absence raises questions about his immediate future with the team.
Additional Notes
Mats Zuccarello is probable to return for Saturday's game.
Projected Forward Lines
- Kirill Kaprizov – Marco Rossi – Marcus Johansson
- Vladimir Tarasenko – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
- Marcus Foligno – Ryan Hartman – Vinnie Hinostroza
The Wild aim to leverage these line combinations to maintain momentum on the road.
Author’s summary: The Wild introduce Daemon Hunt in defense while keeping a successful forward line intact; key player scratches suggest strategic roster decisions as they face the Hurricanes.