Wild vs Hurricanes: Game Preview and Line Combinations
The Minnesota Wild (5-6-3) visit the Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0) tonight to begin the first half of a back-to-back series. The Wild make only one lineup adjustment from their previous game.
Defense Pairing Change
Daemon Hunt will make his season debut as part of the third defensive pair alongside Zeev Buium. It will be interesting to monitor how the Wild utilize this pairing on the road, especially with Hunt playing on his offside and the team having the last line change advantage. David Jiricek, who has no points and a minus-3 rating over ten games, will be scratched.
Fourth Line and Healthy Scratch
The Wild will keep their fourth line unchanged, which means Danila Yurov will be a healthy scratch again for the third consecutive game. The line of Ben Jones, Yakov Trenin, and Tyler Pitlick has appeared in three games together, winning all three. Yurov scored his first NHL goal when he played as the third-line center in New York, but has since been scratched for the last two wins. His ongoing scratches are notable going forward.
Probable Return
Mats Zuccarello is expected 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
"Wild debut defenseman Daemon Hunt tonight against the Hurricanes."
"Danila Yurov being scratched for three consecutive games will be something to keep an eye on."
Author's summary: The Wild introduce Daemon Hunt on defense while Danila Yurov remains a healthy scratch, signaling possible shifts in Minnesota's lineup dynamics.