The Minnesota Wild aim to maintain their winning streak under new coach John Hynes as they face the Chicago Blackhawks in Saint Paul, Minn., on Sunday afternoon.
Since Hynes took over from Dean Evason, who was dismissed following a 5-10-4 start to the season, the Wild have secured consecutive victories.
Hynes noted the team’s heightened sense of urgency and emphasized his own desire to make an impression on the players.
The upcoming challenge for the Wild is against the Chicago Blackhawks, who come into the game on short rest after a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Despite rookie Connor Bedard’s 11th goal, the Blackhawks are on a two-game losing streak, having lost three of their last four and eight of their past 10 games.
Anthony Beauvillier, making his Blackhawks debut, expressed enjoyment playing alongside Bedard and Philipp Kurashev.
However, due to visa processing, he is expected to miss the game in Minnesota, hoping for resolution by Monday.
The Wild will likely start goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who boasts a 3-4-2 record, a 3.46 goals-against average, and a .875 save percentage this season.
Fleury, six games away from reaching 1,000 in his career, played for the Blackhawks last season before being traded to Minnesota.
Facing Chicago, he holds a 13-6-5 record with a 2.52 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 24 career games.
Chicago plans to counter with Petr Mrazek in net, who holds a 5-7-0 record, a 3.37 GAA, and a .900 save percentage in 13 games this season. Mrazek, with a 4-3-0 record against Minnesota in his career, has a 2.28 GAA and a .918 save percentage in those matchups.
Wild forward Connor Dewar, fresh off his first career hat trick, reflects the team’s growing confidence, stating that they feel like a formidable force when confidence is high.
The Wild hope to build on their positive momentum against the struggling Blackhawks.
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