Minnesota Wild News

Johnson will sit on Friday as Cole Guttman enters the lineup in his place. Johnson has two goals and no assists in 23 games this season.

Gustavsson will start for the second straight game and search for his third consecutive win when he tends the twine on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets. After allowing two or fewer goals in seven games (6-1-0), posting a stellar .954 SV%, Gustavsson has uncharacteristically allowed three or more goals in three straight (2-1-0), posting a .880 SV%. The Wild, winners of four straight, are playing a home-and-home set against the Jets on Saturday and Sunday and will turn to Marc-Andre Fleury on the latter end.

Cody Glass will draw back into the lineup in favour of Trenin, who will be a healthy scratch for the first time since November 11th. Trenin has nine points (7G / 2A), 49 shots, and 79 hits in 33 games this season.

Hartman did not play the last two games for Minnesota but will likely return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings. Hartman has nine goals and six assists in 27 games this season while playing predominantly alongside Mats Zuccarello and Kiril Kaprizov.

Minnesota has opted to give Gustavsson some rest over the last week, but the team will turn back to him Wednesday for his second start in their last four games. After a horrendous start to the 2023-24 campaign, Gustavsson has been among the league's best goaltenders over the last month, allowing two or fewer goals in seven of nine games (7-2-0), posting a sensational .936 SV%. Minnesota is a -136 home favourite against the Detroit Red Wings, who have lost five of their last six games (1-5-0).

Hartman was scratched Thursday vs. the Canadiens and will miss his second straight game on Saturday. The Wild rolled with seven defensemen to replace Hartman vs. Montreal, but Jake Lucchini will make his Wild debut in his spot on Saturday.

Spurgeon was on the ice for the Wild's morning skate but will miss his sixth straight game on Saturday. With Spurgeon still sidelined, Dakota Mermis will remain on the Wild blueline. Expect Spurgeon to return shortly after the Christmas break.

Hartman was a late scratch for Thursday's game, with the Wild only announcing his absence 30 minutes before puck drop. Hartman has nine goals and six assists in 27 games this season.

Gustavsson has started four of the last five games for the Wild and will return to the crease again on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. In his last contest, Gustavsson allowed four goals on 30 shots (.867 SV%) in a 4-3 loss to the Penguins but has allowed two or fewer goals in each of the seven games prior (6-1-0), posting a stellar .954 SV%. Minnesota has been rolling since introducing John Hynes as their new head coach, posting an 8-3-0 record, and are -178 home favourites against a Canadiens team that has collected a point in three straight outs (2-0-1).

Nick Blankenburg will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Jiricek to return to the lineup after not playing on Tuesday. Tuesday was Jiricek's first time out of the lineup in 17 games. He has three points (0G / 3A) while averaging under 15 minutes of time-on-ice in his last two games.

Zuccarello has not played the last two games for Minnesota due to an upper-body injury and has been placed on the injured reserve, meaning he will be out of the lineup until after the Christmas break. Before his injury, Zuccarello had only one point (0G / 1A) in his last five games despite averaging nearly 18 minutes of ice time per game, receiving top-line and top powerplay deployment.

Zuccarello missed the Wilds' game Monday vs. Pittsburgh and will remain out Tuesday against Boston as he is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. It is a massive loss for the Wild as the 36-year-old veteran right-winger has six goals, 22 assists, 74 SOG, 10 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus in 28 games prior to his injury.

Zuccarello's absence on Monday night was a surprise with the team not giving any indication he would miss the game in Pittsburgh prior to warmups. The 36-year-old is averaging a point-per-game this season, registering six goals and 22 assists across 28 games.

Patrik Laine was placed on the injured reserve with a clavicle fracture, allowing the Blue Jackets to recall Brendan Guance from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. In 24 games with Cleveland this season, Gaunce has 15 points (6G / 9A) and a +5 plus/minus rating.

Minnesota will turn to Fleury on the back end of a back-to-back when they face off against the Boston Bruins. The veteran netminder and future half-of-famer has only played one of the last seven games for Minnesota as Filip Gustavsson has demanded the crease with exceptional play lately. Fleury has a 3.29 GAA and .887 SV% through 11 games this season (4-5-2) while posting a quality start rate of only 45.5%, the lowest total of his career.

Gustavsson will start for the fourth straight game on Monday and look for his fourth straight victory in the process. The Swedish goaltender's turnaround this season has been remarkable. Gustavsson has followed up a 10-game stretch (1-6-2) where he posted a .864 SV%, with an astounding .954 SV% in his seven games since (6-1-0). Minnesota is a slight +101 road underdog on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will be playing desperately after being embarrassed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in their last contest, a 7-0 blowout loss.