Wild vs Hurricanes: Game Preview and Line Combinations
The Minnesota Wild (5-6-3) will face the Carolina Hurricanes (8-4-0) tonight on the road as part of a back-to-back series. The Wild make just one lineup change for this game.
Defenseman Debut
Daemon Hunt will make his season debut, paired on the third defense pair with Zeev Buium. Hunt, 23, has not played in an NHL game since October. He will be playing on his offside, and the Wild will have the last line change advantage on the road.
“Daemon Hunt will make his season debut on the third defense pair with Zeev Buium.”
David Jiricek will be out of the lineup. Jiricek has no points in 10 games and is a minus-3 rating.
Forward Lines and Healthy Scratch
The Wild will keep their fourth line intact: Ben Jones, Yakov Trenin, and Tyler Pitlick have played three games together, with the team winning all three.
Danila Yurov will sit as a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game despite scoring his first NHL goal in New York. The team won both games he was scratched for, raising questions about his future role.
“Yurov being scratched for three consecutive games will be something to keep an eye on.”
Probable Return and Current Lines
Mats Zuccarello is probable to return for Saturday's game.
- Kirill Kaprizov – Marco Rossi – Marcus Johansson
- Vladimir Tarasenko – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
- Marcus Foligno – Ryan Hartman – Vinnie Hinostroza
Overall, the Wild are experimenting with defense and maintaining offensive line chemistry while managing healthy scratches as the season progresses.
Author's summary: Daemon Hunt debuts on defense while Danila Yurov’s benching sparks questions about his Wild future amid consistent line strategies.