The Minnesota Wild are set to face the Washington Capitals tonight, marking another exciting matchup in the NHL season. Both teams are competing for better positioning early in the season, with Minnesota standing at 2-2-0 and Washington at 3-1-0.
Team Records and Historical Context
Last season, Minnesota had the upper hand, winning both games against the Capitals. Historically, the Wild have a 6-8-2 record in games played in Washington.
Starting Goalies
- Filip Gustavsson (Wild):
- Record: 2-1-0 against Capitals
- Goals-against Average: 2.98
- Save Percentage: .905
- Logan Thompson (Capitals):
- Record: 3-1-0 against Wild
- Goals-against Average: 1.57
- Save Percentage: .950
Lineup Changes and Injuries
For the Capitals, former Wild defenseman Declan Chisholm will join the lineup. He has five goals and 20 points from 95 games with Minnesota over two seasons. The Wild, meanwhile, have made some adjustments by sending David Jiricek down, leaving them with one scratched defenseman and one scratched forward.
Wild’s Expected Lineup
- Forwards: Kirill Kaprizov, Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy, Marcus Johansson, Joel Eriksson Ek, Vladimir Tarasenko, Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman, Yakov Trenin, Liam Ohgren, Danila Yurov, Vinnie Hinostroza
- Defense: Jonas Brodin, Brock Faber, Jake Middleton, Jared Spurgeon, Zeev Buium, Zach Bogosian
- Scratched: Dameon Hunt, Ben Jones
- Injuries: Mats Zuccarello (lower body), Nico Sturm (back)
Capitals’ Expected Lineup
- Forwards: Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, Anthony Beauvillier, Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, Tom Wilson, Sonny Milano, Hendrix Lapierre, Ryan Leonard, Brandon Duhaime, Nic Dowd, Justin Sourdif
- Defense: Martin Fehervary, John Carlson, Jakob Chychrun, Declan Chisholm, Rasmus Sandin, Matt Roy
- Scratched: Trevor van Riemsdyk, Ethen Frank
- Injuries: Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower body), Dylan McIlrath (lower body)
Broadcast Information
Fans can catch the action on Fanduel Sports Network North, with Anthony LaPanta providing play-by-play commentary. Lou Nanne will serve as the color analyst while Kevin Gorg reports from the sidelines. For radio coverage, KOOL FM 107.9 features Joe O’Donnell as the play-by-play announcer, with Tom Reid offering insights and Kevin Falness hosting from the studio.
As the Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals match up tonight, fans eagerly anticipate the on-ice action and a critical opportunity for both teams to strengthen their standing early in the NHL season.
