W2W4: Rangers vs. Wild: 12.17.15

Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images

Who: New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild

Where: XL Energy Center

When: Thursday night at 8:00 PM

Watch: MSG Network beginning at 7:30 PM

Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com

The Skinny:

It appeared a trip back home was just what the doctor ordered for the Rangers, who snapped out of a three-game losing streak Tuesday night to dispose of th Edmonton Oilers, 4-2, at Madison Square Garden. Now, though, the Rangers (19-9-4, 42 points) have to get back to their winning ways on the road as they open up a back-to-back road trip in Minnesota and Winnipeg.

The kids helped to lead the way Tuesday, with defenseman Dylan McIlrath scoring his first NHL goal and Brady Skjei playing a solid game in his first NHL contest. Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash added goals, with Nash's being his second power play goal in his last three games. Henrik Lundqvist was solid as well, putting a tough western Canada trip in the rearview mirror.

Thursday marks another matchup with a Western Conference opponent in the Minnesota Wild, marking the fifth straight game against an out-of-conference foe. The Rangers are inching closer to getting back to 100 percent health. While Dan Girardi did not make the trip Wednesday as he continues to battle a knee injury, both Derek Stepan and Kevin Klein did travel with the team, and while they're doubtful for Thursday, it appears one, if not both, could get into the lineup Friday in Winnipeg.

The Wild enter the game riding back-to-back wins, including a 6-2 victory Tuesday night over the Vancouver Canucks. The Wild are one of the stingiest teams in the NHL, entering Thursday with just 68 goals against, the third-fewest in the NHL. With that said, they're a team that struggles to score goals, registering just 79 through 29 contests thus far this season.

Minnesota is led offensively by Mikko Koivu, who has six goals and 25 points through 29 games, followed by Thomas Vanek's 23 points in 29 games. Defensively, Ryan Suter has 22 points through 29 games and is one of the NHL's biggest minutes eaters. In net, last year's Vezina Trophy nominee Devan Dubnyk is expected to get the start. He's 13-7-2 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against with four shutouts.

Head to Head:

Thursday marks the first of two contests between the Rangers and Wild this season, with the next coming Feb. 4 at Madison Square Garden.

 

The Rangers took both games last season against the Wild, scoring at least three goals each in the two games, including six goals in the third periods. Derick Brassard led all skaters last season with a goal and three assists for four points, while Nash had a pair of goals.

 

The Blueshirts enter Thursday night having won four of the last five games against the Wild dating back to March 27, 2012, and five of their last seven dating back to Nov. 20, 2010. 

 

All-time, New York holds a 12-6 edge over the Wild, with half of the games being decided by one goal.

 

Players to Watch:

Rangers- Brady Skjei: Skjei on Wednesday said he felt he settled down quite a bit after the first few shifts Tuesday night in his NHL debut, and that he expected that to continue into his second contest. The reason he's the play to watch, though, is that he'll have upwards of 50 friends and family in the audience, as the 2012 first-rounder grew up in nearby Lakeview, Minn. The blueliner knows the arena well, having been a season-ticket holder in his younger days, and also played on the ice several times as a Golden Gopher during his time at the University of Minnesota. Skjei skated mostly with Dan Boyle, and if the defensive combinations at practice on Wednesday are any indication, it appears he'll skate with No. 22 again.

 

Wild- Zach Parise: While the Wild have struggled offensively, Zach Parise has not. The 31-year-old left winger enters Thursday night's game red hot, with points in five straight and six of seven, including a three-point night Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. After a slow start that was followed by a near month-long injury, the former first-round pick still finds himself second on the team in goals with 10, trailing Vanek by one despite playing eight fewer games. The points have come in bunches this season for Parise, who has four multi-point games, including two three-point contests. The Minneapolis-native also has two separate four-game point streaks, including his current five-game streak.