Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. Edmonton

The essentials

The opponent

Well outside the playoff picture, the Edmonton Oilers sit at sixth in the Pacific Division. Despite their position 18 points out of a wild card spot in the West, the Oilers have won each of the first two meetings against Minnesota, including a 3-2 victory at Xcel Energy Center on Dec. 16 and a 4-1 win at Rogers Place on Feb. 10.
Forward Connor McDavid leads the Oilers with four points, including two goals, against the Wild this season. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has three points, and Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic have two points each. Goaltender Cam Talbot is 2-0-0 with a .953 save percentage in the two games.
In the midst of a career season, McDavid leads the NHL with 103 points, his second-straight campaign where he's reached the century mark. Of his 103 points, 41 are goals, his first 40-goal season in his three-year career.
Draisaitl is second on the Oilers with 24 goals and 68 points, while Nugent-Hopkins has 22 goals among 45 points.
Talbot is 29-30-3 with a 3.06 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

Connections

• Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk was selected 14th overall by the Oilers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and recorded a 61-76-21 record with a 2.88 goals against and a .910 save percentage and eight shutouts in 171 career games (157 starts) with Edmonton (2009-14).
• Wild forward Tyler Ennis is an Edmonton native.
• Edmonton coach Todd McLellan coached the Wild's prospects in Cleveland (2000-01) and Houston (2001-05).

Playoff push

The Wild's magic number to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs stands at four after Colorado's overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night.
With 96 points, Minnesota is in third place in the Central Division, three points clear of Colorado, which enters Monday in the West's second wild card spot.
The Wild will clinch a playoff berth if it defeats the Edmonton Oilers in any fashion AND either of the following occurs:
The Wild leads the Blues by four points. Both Minnesota and St. Louis have four games remaining, one more than the Avalanche.

Home is where the heart is

Minnesota plays its final home game of the regular season Monday. At 26-6-8 at Xcel Energy Center this season, the Wild is tied for second in the NHL in home points (60) -- its second-most points at home during a season in franchise history (29-7-5 for 63 points in 2006-07).
Minnesota has points in 30 of last 33 home games since Nov. 14, tied for most in the NHL in home points (53) during that span (23-3-7).
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