Wild vs Hurricanes: Game Preview and Line Combinations
Tonight, the Minnesota Wild (5-6-3) face the Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0) on the road, starting the first half of a back-to-back series. The Wild make only one lineup change: defenseman Daemon Hunt will make his season debut paired with Zeev Buium on the third defensive pair.
Hunt, 23, has not appeared in an NHL game since October. David Jiricek will be scratched tonight, having no points in ten games and a minus-3 rating. Playing on his offside and with the last line change on the road, it will be interesting to see how the Wild utilize the Hunt-Buium pairing.
Healthy Scratch Raises Questions
The Wild’s fourth line remains unchanged, keeping Danila Yurov out for a third straight game as a healthy scratch. The line of Ben Jones, Yakov Trenin, and Tyler Pitlick has played three games together, with the Wild winning all three.
Funny enough, Yurov played in one of those games as the third line center in New York and scored his first NHL goal. Since being scratched for the last two games, the Wild have won both.
Yurov’s continued absence is worth monitoring as it may signal questions about his role on 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
Summary
The Wild introduce defenseman Daemon Hunt tonight, while Danila Yurov remains a healthy scratch amid team success without him, signaling a key developmental decision.