Spurgeon has missed the Wilds' first 13 games of the season due to an upper-body injury but has been activated from the LTIR Friday and is a game-time decision vs. Buffalo. The 33-year-old is entering his 14th NHL season and had 11 goals and 34 points in 79 games played in 2022-23.
Boyd has yet to score this season but has three assists, nine SOG, two PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in seven games played but will be a healthy scratch Thursday as Jason Zucker (lower body) makes his Coyotes' debut. Boyd is in this seventh NHL season and will hope to be back in the Coyotes' lineup sooner rather than later.
Hinostroza had a goal, an assist, four SOG, two PIMs and a +2 plus/minus in two games played so far in 2023-24 but has been reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) Thursday. The 29-year-old winger heads back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where he was succeeding prior to his NHL promotion with two goals, four points and two PIMs in five games played.
Gustavsson will make his first appearance in the Wild crease since being pulled in last Saturday's shootout victory over the Rangers when he allowed three goals on just four shots. One of the breakout goaltenders of the 2022-23 season, Gustavsson has struggled mightily to recapture that same form this year. Through seven starts he owns an ugly .871 SV% and a 4.89 GAA. The good news for Gustavsson owners is that Marc-Andre Fleury has hardly played any better, with just an .898 SV% to show for his efforts, so the starting job could still be up for grabs if Gustavsson is able to get his game back on track. He's got a good chance of getting back in the win column tonight with the Wild being -105 to pick up the win in Buffalo.
Fleury was expected to take a backseat at the start of the season, but the 38-year-old veteran netminder will start for the fourth time in the last six games as he has been the more reliable option between the pipes for the Wild so far this season. Through six games (3-2-1), Fleury has a 2.69 GAA and .899 SV%, highlighted by saving 40 of the last 43 shots he has faced (.930 SV%) in his last two appearances. The Wild are +106 road underdogs against a New York Rangers team that will likely turn to Louis Domingue as their starting goalie on Thursday.
After trading Calen Addison the the San Jose Sharks earlier in the day, the Wild have acquired veteran defenceman Bogosian from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a seventh-round pick in 2025. Bogosian has zero points and five shots while averaging 11:57 through four games with the Lightning this season and is expected to make his Wild debut Thursday.
In a trade that centred around Calen Addison going to the San Jose Sharks, Adam Raska will be going to the Minnesota Wild along with a 2026 sixth-round pick. The 22-year-old Czech Winger was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Sharks and has 25 points (9G / 11A) through 110 games with the San Jose Baracuda of the AHL.
Bogosian will return to the Bolt's lineup in Montreal as the Lightning do a bit of lineup rotation for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Bogosian has registered zero points, two blocked shots, and two hits across three games this season.
Jiricek will watch the Blue Jackets' matchup against the Panthers from the press box on Monday as he will be a healthy scratch after playing 10 consecutive games. The 19-year-old Czech defenceman registered three points (1G / 2A) and 12 blocks while averaging a conservative 13:34 time-on-ice.
Fleury picked up the rare relief win in the Wild's previous game after coming in to stop 13 of 14 shots (.929 SV%) in the first period vs. the Rangers and will take on the Islanders on Tuesday. The 38-year-old has had a disappointing start to his campaign, as he is 2-2-21 with a .892 SV% and 2.83 GAA. He will head to Long Island Tuesday to take on New York, who has struggled offensively placing 23rd in the NHL in goals per game (2.7) and 18th in shots per game (30.9).
Spurgeon skated in a non-contact jersey on Sunday and will travel with the team on their three-game road trip, but head coach Dean Evason was unsure when he'll be back in the lineup. Spurgeon's season debut is on the horizon, so monitor his status throughout the upcoming week.
Boyd was a healthy scratch for the Coyotes previous game but will draw back into the lineup Saturday asa. replacement for Josh Brown. The 30-year-old veteran centre has been productive despite his limited minutes (10:23 TOI/GP) as he has three assists, seven SOG and a +2 plus/minus in five games played.
Merrill has two assists, seven SOG and six PIMs in 10 games played this season but will be the odd man out of the Wilds' lineup for the first time Saturday vs. the New York Rangers. The 31-year-old is in his 11th NHL season but will take a seat as Daemon Hunt rejoins the Wild lineup.
Gustavsson allowed five goals on 38 shots (.868 SV%) for his second-straight loss as he was downed in his previous start vs. New Jersey but will take on the New York Rangers Saturday. The 25-year-old has struggled despite his sensational 2022-23 season, with his 2-3-1 record, .882 SV% and 4.48 GAA. He'll face the surging New York Rangers, who have won six straight contest but are without superstars Adam Fox (lower body), Filip Chytil (upper body) and Igor Shesterkin (lower body).
Gustavsson will return to the crease on Thursday after serving as the Wild backup in their last two games. After a sensational 41-save shutout in his season debut, Gustavsson has struggled immensely with a 5.45 GAA and .853 SV% in four games (1-2-1). Gustavsson was one of the league's top goaltenders last season and still has plenty of time to turn things around but Thursday night's matchup against the high-octane New Jersey Devils doesn't inspire much confidence. The Wild are only slight -103 home underdogs but are facing a Devils team that is averaging 4.6 goals per game over their last five contests (4-1-0).
After being injured in the second game of the season and being forced to miss the subsequent seven contests, Boldy will make his much-anticipated return to the Wild lineup on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. The Wild have struggled immensely in his absence, winning only twice (2-3-2). Boldy has two points (1G / 1A) in two games this season and will be a fixture in the top-six and top powerplay unit for the Wild going forward.
Spurgeon has not played yet this season due to an upper-body injury so his presence at practice was a welcome sight for a Wild team that currently ranks worst in the league defensively (4.11 GA / GP). Last season, Surgeron averaged 21:49 time-on-ice while tallying 34 points (11G / 23A) and a +32 plus/minus rating in 79 games.
Fleury will make his second consecutive and fourth start of the season on Sunday against the Devils. The 20-year veteran is coming off his best start of the young season. Fleury stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced in Friday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Capitals. He owns an .895 SV% and a 2.96 GAA along with a 1-1-1 record on the season. Fleury and the Wild draw a difficult assignment on Sunday with the Devils being sizable favourites at -170.
