The Minnesota Wild are in position to seize a playoff berth in a competitive Western Conference.
They just have to avoid a meltdown in the final four games of the regular season.
“It’s been a grind, but we’re excited we’re in the driver’s seat, still,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “Our fate’s in our hands.”
Minnesota (42-29-7, 91 points) will look to strengthen its playoff chances when it faces off against the San Jose Sharks (20-47-10, 50 points) on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
The Wild are coming off a 3-2 overtime win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. The road victory snapped a four-game winless skid for Minnesota, which returns home for one game before going back on the road for a pair of games against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
Injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek took part in five-on-five contact drills during practice Tuesday, which marked the next step in their return to action. Kaprizov has not played since Jan. 26, and Eriksson Ek since Feb. 22.
Wild coach John Hynes said it was too soon to know whether either player could return Wednesday. Hynes said Tuesday’s practice marked the first time they have taken part in five-on-five contact drills since their injuries.
“I’ll talk with the trainers after today and see what the next step would be with them,” Hynes said.
Minnesota has leaned on Matt Boldy (26 goals, 41 assists) and Marco Rossi (24, 34) in Kaprizov’s absence.
One player who Hynes ruled out with certainty is defenseman Jake Middleton, who was injured Friday against the New York Islanders. Middleton did not participate in practice Tuesday.
As the Wild prepare for several players to return ahead of what they hope will be a postseason run, the Sharks have five games to go before a long offseason. San Jose is in a six-game winless drought, and opponents have outscored the Sharks 29-10 during that span.
Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks with 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 65 games during his rookie campaign. William Eklund is next with 55 points (17, 38) in 72 games, and Tyler Toffoli has 50 points (28, 22) in 73 games.
“I’m just trying to get better every day and learn from watching the guys,” Celebrini said.
San Jose could turn to Alexandar Georgiev or Georgi Romanov in net. Georgiev is 15-25-2 with a 3.69 goals-against average and an .873 save percentage on the season, which includes 18 games with Colorado, and Romanov is 0-4-0 with a 4.02 GAA and an .873 save percentage.
The Wild’s options in net include Filip Gustavsson (30-18-6, 2.54 GAA, .915 save percentage) and Marc-Andre Fleury (12-9-1, 2.78 GAA, .903 save percentage).
Hynes declined to announce his starting goaltender after Tuesday’s practice. He said Fleury, who is in the final season of a remarkable career, would receive at least some time in net this week.
The 40-year-old Fleury ranks second all-time with 573 career victories in 1,048 games.
“We’re going to sit down and discuss it,” Hynes said when asked about Fleury’s next start. “Possibly (Wednesday). Obviously, we have a back-to-back coming up. If things go well, hopefully we earn our way here and we’ve got more hockey to play, and he’s going to be a part of that.
“He’s a veteran player. He recognizes it. And he’s a competitor. But there will be some action for him this week.”
–Field Level Media
