Preview: Wild vs. Sabres

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild are set to host the Buffalo Sabres this afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. The team will also be hosting an in-arena Black History Celebration and will be wearing its 78's jerseys.

Info for Tonight's Game:

• When: Saturday, February 17 at 4:00 p.m. CT
• Where: Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minnesota)
• Tickets: Black History Celebration
• Watch: Bally Sports North
• Listen: KFAN 100.3 FM
• Gamecenter: Wild vs. Sabres

Wild Record: 24-23-5, 53 points, 6th in Central Division

Sabres Record: 23-26-4, 50 points, 7th in Atlantic Division

2023-24 Series Record: 0-1-0

Wild vs. Sabres All-Time Record: 15-10-5 (5-6-3 at Xcel Energy Center)

Third Jersey Record: 4-4-1

Last Time Out

The Wild defeated the Arizona Coyotes, 3-1, at Mullett Arena on Wednesday (2/14). Forwards Joel Eriksson Ek (1-1=2) and Matt Boldy (1-1=2) each tallied two points on the night. D Jonas Brodin scored the game-winning goal. G Marc-Andre Fleury made 25-of-26 saves for a .962 SV% in the win.

The Sabres were shutout by the Florida Panthers, 4-0, at KeyBank Center on Thursday (2/15). G Eric Comrie made 26-of-29 saves (.897 SV%).

Previously on Wild vs. Sabres

The Sabres recorded a 3-2 victory in the series-opening game at KeyBank Center (11/10). F Kirill Kaprizov (1-1=2) and F Mats Zuccarello (0-2=2) led the Wild with two points each. G Filip Gustavsson saved 22-of-25 shots faced for Minnesota.

F JJ Peterka (1-1=2) and F Jeff Skinner (1-1=2) each logged multi-point games to lead Buffalo. G Devon Levi saved 33-of-35 shots to earn the win for the Sabres.

Players to Watch

• Boldy is T-10th in the NHL with 18 goals scored since Nov. 28 and has recorded three consecutive multi-point games from 2/9-2/14, a career best
• Kaprizov leads Minnesota with 50 points (20-30=50) this season and with an assist at Arizona (2/14), became the first player in franchise history to reach 50 points in four consecutive seasons
• Zuccarello reached the 40-point threshold (9-31=40) for the ninth season in his NHL career with a goal at Vegas (2/12) and he leads the Wild with 31 assists this season
• Peterka (19-17=36) has four points (3-1=4) in his last five games and leads Buffalo in goals
• F Dylan Cozens (10-20=30) has three assists in his last five games and is fourth on the Sabres in assists
• F Casey Mittelstadt (12-31=43) leads Buffalo in points and assists

Recent Transactions

The Minnesota Wild signed F Mason Shaw to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the 2023-24 season and assigned F Adam Beckman to Iowa (2/15). 

To view more recent transactions, visit wild.com/transactions.

To view Minnesota's full Injury Report, visit wild.com/injury.

Connections

• Foligno is a Buffalo native and tallied 116 points (49-67=116) and 334 PIM in 347 games with the Sabres (2011-17)
• He was drafted by Buffalo in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft
• F Marcus Johansson tallied 30 points (9-21=30) in 60 games with Buffalo in 2019-20
• D Zach Bogosian collected 67 points (13-54=67) and 234 PIM in 243 games in parts of six seasons with Buffalo (2014-20)
• F Jordan Greenway was drafted 50th overall by the Wild in the 2015 NHL Draft and recorded 119 points (38-81=119), 227 PIM and a plus-18 rating in 317 games over a span of six seasons with Minnesota (2017-23)
• Mittelstadt is from Eden Prairie and played one season at the University of Minnesota (2017-18)
• F Kyle Okposo is from St. Paul and played one season at the University of Minnesota (2006-07)
• F Alex Tuch was drafted 18th overall by the Wild in the 2014 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with Minnesota, skating in six games in the 2016-17 season
• D Erik Johnson is from Bloomington and played one season (2006-07) at the University of Minnesota

Fast Facts

• Minnesota’s 7-0 win at Buffalo (1/15/15) is tied for the largest margin of victory in franchise history
• The Wild is 11-5-4 in its last 21 games against the Sabres, outscoring Buffalo 75-52 in those games, including shootout goals

Game Notes

For more information on this afternoon's tilt, check out the game notes below.