Calgary @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2019 ) Calgary 0, Minnesota 3

The Minnesota Wild followed their worst loss of the season - a 6-0 drubbing by Winnipeg on Dec. 21 - with a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames in their final game before the Christmas break. The Wild will look to complete a weekend sweep of the same two opponents when they host the Flames on Sunday night in the front end of a home-and-home.

While Minnesota had split a pair of shootout decisions this season, it was 0-4 in overtime before ending the drought with a 3-2 victory over the Jets on Saturday. “It was good to finally win a game in overtime,” coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters after his team ended a two-game slide at home. “That extra point, as we know, is going to become so vital for somebody. I’d rather it be us than anybody else." The Flames stumbled out of the break by giving up 10 goals in losses to Chicago and Vancouver before squeezing out a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers to halt a five-game skid at home. "We're trying to catch teams in front of us. We have ground to make up," Calgary forward Andrew Mangiapane told reporters. "But we're growing as a group. We're heading in the right direction."

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS North, FS Wisconsin, Sportsnet

ABOUT THE FLAMES (21-17-5): Mikael Backlund was expected to center Calgary's third line Thursday night, but the trade of forward Michael Frolik earlier in the day prompted interim coach Geoff Ward to move him to the wing alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Backlund responded by scoring his third goal in six games, a short-handed tally with New York on a 5-on-3 power play. Both of Backlund's linemates also came up big as Gaudreau opened the scoring with his 11th goal and assisted on Monahan's game-winner.

ABOUT THE WILD (20-17-5): It was appropriate that Minnesota's first overtime victory of the season came on a game-winning goal by veteran Eric Staal, who ended an eight-year drought by scoring in the extra session for the first time since Dec. 29, 2011. Staal also scored in last month's victory over Calgary, part of a torrid stretch in which he has amassed eight goals in 11 games to boost his team-high totals to 16 tallies and 33 points. Luke Kunin added a goal and an assist Saturday to set a career high with 18 points.

OVERTIME

1. Wild D Ryan Suter has 11 points in his last 11 games, including a four-game point streak.

2. Gaudreau has two goals and 12 points in 15 games versus Minnesota.

3. The Wild will be off until Thursday's rematch in Calgary while the Flames play at Chicago on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Flames 3, Wild 2