Wild Warmup: Minnesota at Winnipeg

The essentials

The Wild Warmup is presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling
WINNIPEG -- It's not the Fourth of July, but there could be plenty of fireworks when the Wild and Winnipeg Jets meet for the second time in just over a week. Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre.
The division rivals played here eight days ago, a game the Jets won 2-0, and a loss that cost the Wild more than the two points in the standings and a 10-game point streak. Forward Marcus Foligno, fighting Adam Lowry for the second time in the game, was suspended two games by the NHL in the days afterward.
Minnesota went 2-0 without Foligno, securing home wins over Carolina and Detroit, but will get its alternate captain back just in time for a rematch with the Jets.

Last week's game featured plenty of emotion and chippiness on both sides, and even two fights on the ice at the same time, as Foligno and Lowry tangled while Jordan Greenway went to avenge a questionable, unpenalized high hit by defenseman Brenden Dillon.
And that was just in the first period.
The regulation loss in Winnipeg was Minnesota's first since New Year's Day and its only loss in regulation over its past 13 games, a stretch where the Wild has posted an 11-1-1 record.
"We owe 'em, for sure," Greenway said following the win over Detroit on Monday. "So they better be ready."
While Minnesota will get Foligno back in the lineup, it will remain without defenseman Matt Dumba, who sustained a lower-body injury in a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes on Saturday and did not play Monday versus Detroit.
Wild coach Dean Evason reiterated Tuesday the uncertainty surrounding Dumba's injury. He's not on the trip and seems unlikely to return before next week, at the very earliest, when the Wild begins a four-game Canadian swing in Edmonton on Sunday.
Dumba had missed the two games prior to Carolina with a different injury, then played the entire game against the Hurricanes, not knowing exactly when he sustained his new ailment.
"He just competes," Evason said in the aftermath of the win against the Canes. "We missed his physical presence. We missed his battle. We missed his leadership."
Cam Talbot is expected to earn the start in goal for the Wild on Wednesday. Talbot has won his past four starts, posting a 1.36 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage during that span.
He was outstanding in the win over Carolina, making 37 saves on 39 shots, this off a 30-save shutout in his final start before the All-Star break in Chicago.
"Honestly, I don't think they figured too much about us, I think we played like crap in Winnipeg," Foligno said. "Honestly, it's just one of those things where I need to do a better job, that's just how it goes out there. Just gotta do a better job controlling the emotions. It's always been a physical game with them all year, with some fights and some extra drama off the ice, but there's nothing different going into tomorrow's game. I think the biggest thing for us is to play our game, be smart, take two penalties or less, those things that can get us a win there."

Winnipeg is 1-1-1 since its victory over the Wild last week, losing 4-3 in overtime in Dallas on Friday before responding with a 5-2 victory in Nashville 24 hours later.
The Jets lost 3-1 to the Blackhawks back at Canada Life Centre on Monday night, the first of four games Winnipeg will play at home this week and the fourth game in a stretch of 10 games in 16 nights.
All-Star forward Kyle Connor leads the Jets with 26 goals, 24 assists and 50 points on the season. Pierre-Luc Dubois, second on the club with 20 goals this season, is expected to play after missing last week's matchup on the COVID-19 protocol list.
Connor Hellebuyck, who made 27 saves in the win over the Wild last week, is 16-16-7 with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 39 starts this season.