Gustavsson has been tremendous all season, among the NHL's best netminders, and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 26-year-old Gustavsson boasts an immaculate 2.05 GAA and .929 SV% through 18 games this season (11-4-3). Minnesota enters Tuesday's contest as -139 home favorites against a Vancouver club that has won four of their last five (4-1-0).
Lauko has not played since November 25th, and will miss a fourth straight on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 24-year-old Lauko is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 21 games this season.
Brodin has missed three straight games due to an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old Brodin has already missed five games this season. He is averaging 22:08 time-on-ice and has eight points (2G / 6A) in 19 games.
Ogren has split time between the NHL and AHL this season, going pointless in eight NHL games with Minnesota, and scoring six points (5G / 1A) in eight AHL games with Iowa. The 20-year-old Ohgren was the 19th overall pick of Minnesota in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
With the Iowa Wild (AHL) off until the weekend, Wallstedt might have been recalled just to receive some extra practice during their off-time. The 22-year-old netminder has struggled this season, posting an ugly 4.34 GAA and .860 SV% in 10 games with Iowa (3-6-1).
Zuccarello has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on November 14th and was originally given a three-to-four week recovery timeline. Before his injury, the 37-year-old Zuccarello had not missed a beat, playing predominantly alongside Kirill Kaprizov, scoring 14 points (6G/ 8A). in 16 games this season.
Lauko has not played since November 25th, and will miss a fourth straight on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 24-year-old Lauko is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 21 games this season.
Jiricek was acquired in a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets last week, along with a fifth round pick, in return for Damon Hunt, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and fourth-round pick. The 21-year-old Jiricek was the sixth-overall pick of the Blue Jackets in 2022 but has trouble establishing himself with the club at the NHL level, soring 11 points (1G / 10A) in 53 career games.
Ben Jones will exit the lineup on Friday, allowing Khusnutdinov to return from a lower-body injury. Khusnutdinov was the 37th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old has been adjusting to his first full NHL season, averaging 11:26 time-on-ice, scoring two points (0G / 2A).
On the front end of a back-to-back, Minnesota will turn to Fleury between the pipes on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Fleury has only played once in the last three weeks but has been serviceable in limited action this season, posting a 2.76 GAA and .904 SV% in five games (4-0-1). Minnesota enters Friday's contest as sizeable -258 home favorites against a Chicago club coming off an impressive 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars.
Lauko will take a seat on Wednesday when the Wild travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres. Travis Boyd will draw into the lineup in his place.
Boyd will fill in for Jakub Lauko, who is listed as a healthy scratch. Boyd went pointless in less than nine minutes of ice time in his Wild debut on Saturday.
Merrill will fill in for Jonas Brodin, who was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury. Merrill has zero goals and one assist in 14 games this season.
Brodin was a surprise scratch on Wednesday, with his absence not being announced prior to warmups. We should get an update on his status ahead of the Wild's game against Chicago on Friday.
Lauko only played 6:08 time-on-ice in Minnesota's 4-1 loss to the Jets on Monday before exiting the contest with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old Lauko is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 21 games this season.
Minnesota has lost two straight, both with Gustavsson between the pipes, but will roll with him again on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres. Despite losing three of his last four outings (1-2-1), Gustavsson has been tremendous in Minnesota's crease this season, posting a stellar 2.18 GAA and .923 SV% in 16 games (9-4-3). Minnesota enters Wednesday's contest as -129 road favorites against Buffalo club that will welcome Tage Thompson back into their lineup.
