GreenwayBHC
The essentials

The Wild Warmup is presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling
ST. PAUL --For the first time in more than 650 days, the Wild and Winnipeg Jets will renew their rivalry when they play at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night.
The game marks the start of the home schedule for the Wild, which won each end of a back-to-back set in Anaheim and Los Angeles over the weekend.
Minnesota and Winnipeg haven't played since Jan. 4, 2020, a game the Wild won on home ice 3-2 in overtime. Eric Staal scored the game-winning goal in the extra session, which followed Luke Kunin's tying goal with under six minutes to play in regulation. Clearly, much has changed for both teams since that game, but especially for the Wild, which has seen half its roster turn over since that game.
Of the 20 guys who dressed that night for the Wild,
only half remain with the club and will play on Tuesday
.
Over that span, Minnesota has changed both goaltenders, swapped out half its blue line and seen almost half its forward group turn over.

Dean Evason practice update

"We mentioned that this morning when we were doing our pre-scout meeting, that we haven't seen them in a long time," Evason said. "Different team, different year, different league. It seems to be a theme."
Tuesday's game will also be the first in front of a full-capacity house in downtown St. Paul for the first time since March 3, 2020.
"Everyone in that room is excited. We can't wait for the home opener," said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. "Just to see our fans and get them going, fire them up and just to see that whole place packed ... it was fun playing in Anaheim and L.A. and again see some fans because those arenas were weird not having them there.
"But we're just excited for our home crowd. I think there's a buzz around us this year and winning our first two games, our fans are going to be extra excited and expect us to win [on Tuesday night] like we do ourselves."
The Wild secured a 2-1 win to start its season in Anaheim on Friday night, getting the winning goal from Foligno with 7.2 seconds remaining in regulation. Kevin Fiala also scored in the game.
The following night, Minnesota continued getting contributions from up and down the lineup, getting goals from Freddy Gaudreau, Victor Rask and Ryan Hartman in the second period, once again erasing a 1-0 deficit in earning a victory.
Goaltender Cam Talbot was outstanding each night, making 28 saves versus Anaheim and 29 in Los Angeles in getting the victories.
"We thought going over both games, on the chance sheet, we thought we did a really good job 5-on-5of limiting," Evason said. "We were doing a lot of really good things in all three zones to defend and it didn't hurt us offensively."
Like the Wild, Winnipeg started its season in California. But that's where the similarities between the two starts end.
The Jets lost their Opening Night game in Anaheim by a 4-1 score last Wednesday, then followed it up with a 4-3 loss at the hands of the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
A big reason for the shaky start has been an uneven power play, which has started the season scoreless in its first eight opportunities. Winnipeg finished last season with the seventh-best power play in the NHL, converting 23 percent of its chances.
One key cog in that power play could be absent from the lineup on Tuesday, as Plymouth native Blake Wheeler was placed on the COVID-19 list. He did not practice with the team at Xcel Energy Center on Monday and his status for the game is unknown.
"[These games are] always going to be a little more (like) the end of the regular season and playoff-like," forward Nikolaj Ehlers told the Jets' team website on Monday. "This building, they've got some pretty passionate fans too. These are going to be fun games and we're going to try to go out there and play the way we can and work as hard as we can to get the two points."

Kurvers tribute scheduled for pregame

If you're planning on coming to the game, there will be a special pregame tribute to former Wild Assistant General Manager Tom Kurvers, who passed away June 21 after a battle with lung cancer. That tribute will begin at 7:04 p.m. You won't want to miss this video element that will undoubtedly be
emotional for many in the Wild family
.

Tickets still available for home opener

If you don't have tickets to the game on Tuesday, there are some still available for purchase. You can buy your tickets by
clicking here
.
Related:
- Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 2, Ducks 1 - Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 3, Kings 2