Wild vs Hurricanes: Game Preview and Line Combinations
The Minnesota Wild (5-6-3) face the Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0) on the road tonight in the first game of a back-to-back series. The key update is the season debut of defenseman Daemon Hunt.
Defensive Changes
Daemon Hunt joins the third defensive pair alongside Zeev Buium. Notably, Hunt will be playing on his offside. David Jiricek, who has no points in ten games and a minus-3 rating, will be out of the lineup.
Forward Lines and Healthy Scratch
The Wild maintain their fourth line intact with Ben Jones, Yakov Trenin, and Tyler Pitlick, a trio that has remained undefeated (3-0-0) over their last three games together.
Danila Yurov sits out as a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game, raising questions about his future. Despite playing in one of the two recent games—scoring his first NHL goal as the third-line center—Yurov has been scratched in the last two wins.
“Yurov being scratched for three consecutive games will be something to keep an eye on.”
Probable Return
Mats Zuccarello is likely to return for Saturday's game.
Projected Line Combinations
- Kirill Kaprizov – Marco Rossi – Marcus Johansson
- Vladimir Tarasenko – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
- Marcus Foligno – Ryan Hartman – Vinnie Hinostroza
Daemon Hunt's debut and Yurov’s healthy scratch highlight important decisions shaping Minnesota's lineup for this road test.