Minnesota @ Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 16, 2019 ) Carolina 4, Minnesota 3

A road-heavy early-season schedule nearly delivered a knockout blow to the Minnesota Wild, who have buried the memory of opening the season with four consecutive losses and 10 defeats in their first 14 games (4-9-1). Minnesota looks to cap a perfect three-game road trip when it vies for its sixth straight win at the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

The Wild, who lost eight of their first nine away from home, are riding the second-longest point streak in franchise history at 11 games (8-0-3) after squeezing out a 5-4 victory in Tampa Bay on Thursday. “We’re trying hard and we’re having some success right now,” coach Bruce Boudreau said after his team ran its road point streak to six games. “We play Carolina and they’re a great team, too. We just have to dig deep.” The Hurricanes, who bolted out of the gates with a five-game win streak before cooling off, had dropped three of four before posting a 3-2 shootout victory over San Jose on Thursday night. "Wasn't our best game, for sure," said coach Rod Brind'Amour, whose team has managed only nine goals in five games. "Maybe not even our best in the last four or five, but loved the fact that we hung in there."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS North, FS Wisconsin (Minnesota), FS Carolina

ABOUT THE WILD (14-11-4): Jason Zucker has two straight two-point games and six goals in the last nine to take over the team scoring lead (21 points) to help spark Minnesota's turnaround. "Obviously, it wasn't the start we wanted, but there's a lot of teams that go through slumps," Zucker said. "I don't know if I've ever been a part of a team that's started like that. But we've had faith in ourselves all along." Eric Staal, who played his first 12 seasons in Carolina, is second to Zucker on the team with eight goals and 12 assists.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (17-11-1): Andrei Svechnikov scored once and set up another goal before notching the only tally in the shootout against San Jose. “I think he’s just getting better and better and getting more confident with all his play-making ability,” Brind’Amour said of the 2018 No. 2 overall pick. “He’s tough to handle. His willingness to try to get better. That’s why he’s going to be a great player." Svechnikov is the first player player for Carolina to reach 30 points in fewer than 30 games since Staal in 2012-13.

OVERTIME

1. Hurricanes G Sebastian Aho has two goals and eight points in seven games versus Minnesota.

2. Wild G Alex Stalock has won three straight and is 5-0-2 over his last seven starts.

3. Hurricanes G Petr Mrazek is 16-6 in shootouts.

PREDICTION: Hurricanes 3, Wild 2