In an 82-game regular season, some games stand out more than others.
A Saturday night matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars in St. Paul, Minn., is one such game that commands extra attention. That is true not only for the fans of the Central Division rivals but also for the players.
“Measuring-stick game,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “It’s like playing against Florida or Tampa. You’ve just got to … be patient, be smart. We know last year was not a lot of fun against these guys, so we’ve got to try to make amends for that.”
Both teams have enjoyed hot starts to the season. The Wild have earned at least one point in 14 of their first 16 games, and the Stars have won 10 of their first 15.
Dallas is coming off back-to-back wins against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, whom they outscored by a combined margin of 14-3.
Evgenii Dadonov made a penalty shot in the Stars’ latest victory. It marked his fourth successful penalty-shot goal in five attempts in his career.
“That shows you how deep our team is,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. “He can’t crack the top couple of shootouts. We might need to get him out there.”
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 16 games. Matt Boldy ranks second on the team with 17 points (10 G, 7 A) in 16 games.
The Stars’ top scorer is Matt Duchene, who has 20 points (9 G, 11 A) in 15 games. Mason Marchment is second with 15 points (4 G, 11 A) in 14 games.
Seguin, who is fourth on the Stars with 13 points (7 G, 6 A) in 11 games, picked up two assists in the Stars’ most recent game against the Bruins.
“This is a hard league to score in — and to score at the rate he’s scored at,” Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. “I like the way he’s getting his points right now. He’s just playing honest.”
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson is expected to make the start Saturday against Dallas’ high-scoring attack. Gustavsson is 8-2-2 with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage this season, and is coming off a shutout victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
In four career games against Dallas, Gustavsson is 3-1-0 with a 1.73 GAA and a .950 save percentage.
The Stars are expected to counter with Jake Oettinger in net. The 25-year-old Oettinger, who grew up in nearby Lakeville, Minn., is 8-3-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .914 save percentage.
Oettinger is 5-0-1 with a 2.49 GAA and .913 save percentage in eight career appearances against the Wild.
Minnesota coach John Hynes said he is pleased with what he has seen so far from his team.
“We’re playing a strong, connected team game,” Hynes said. “We’re playing connected in all areas of the ice, obviously our defensive zone through the neutral zone. I think our offensive-zone game, we’re playing as a five-man unit.
“The guys are paying attention to details of the structure that you need.”
