Minnesota brings a two-game win streak and a four-spot power-index edge into a matchup with Utah’s dangerous top six.
Minnesota has 18 points and an 8-3-2 record, two points ahead of Utah’s 16 and 8-4-0, while sitting fourth in the power index to Utah’s 11th. The Wild have won two straight and three of their last five; Utah is 3-2 over its last five and comes off a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay. The key matchup is Kirill Kaprizov, who leads Minnesota with 13 goals and 21 points in 13 games, against Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka, whose listed save percentage is .876. If Vejmelka can slow Kaprizov, Utah’s top-six production—led by Clayton Keller’s 15 points—can make this a close test; Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt brings a .917 save percentage of his own.