The Minnesota Wild face the Detroit Red Wings with both teams heading in opposite directions to start the season. The Wild are 3-3-1 but with back-to-back wins, look like one of the best teams in the Central Division. The Red Wings have a 3-2-2 record but are hoping to turn things around after two consecutive losses. The Wild look to continue to make up ground in the Central Division while the Red Wings hope to rebound in the Atlantic Division, making the upcoming game a pivotal one for both teams.
The Wild have turned around their season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.71 goals per game including 14 goals in the last four games. Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello have scored 10 goals and 11 assists to lead the top line but the entire offense has been great. Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman, and Matt Boldy have combined for eight goals and eight assists while defensemen Calen Addison, Jacob Middleton, and Jared Spurgeon have added two goals and 13 assists from the point to help open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has struggled to start the season, allowing 4.29 goals per game. Jacob Middleton and Jared Spurgeon have led the top two pairings but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to carry the puck into the offensive zone and constantly generate shots on the net. Moreover, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has struggled in the net with a .879 save percentage and a 3.88 goals-against average on 174 shots.