Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. San Jose

The essentials

The Wild Warmup is presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling
ST. PAUL -- The Wild can check the first of what it hopes are several season-long boxes on Sunday night when it hosts the San Jose Sharks at Xcel Energy Center.
Should the Wild win in any fashion, it would clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scheduled to begin in two weeks time.
While the postseason seems like a formality at this point, it remains a critical first step and one the Wild hopes is a long run into the postseason.
Minnesota returns to action following a potential playoff preview Saturday in St. Louis. The Blues won 6-5 in overtime, escaping with a second point after watching the Wild rally from 4-1 and 5-3 deficits in the final period of regulation.
The result of that game moved St. Louis one point ahead of Minnesota for second place in the Central Division standings ahead of what in all probability will be a First Round matchup between the clubs.
All that's really left to settle at this point is who will have home-ice advantage in the series.
Minnesota has one game in hand on St. Louis, a fact that only matters should the Wild continue winning. The Blues have now won eight consecutive games and have at least a point in 11-straight games entering their contest Sunday night in Nashville against the Predators.
A bulk of the Wild's schedule will come at home, with six of its eight remaining games occurring at Xcel Energy Center. Beginning Sunday, each of the next four opponents on the Wild's schedule currently sit outside of a playoff spot.
"We want to get home ice advantage for the playoffs no doubt," said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. "We got a little stint at home where there's a lot of home games to finish off the season. Every game we know we're wanting to win every game and that's our mindset and now we gotta just look forward to tomorrow."
It's a critical week for Minnesota if it hopes that likely series against the Blues is to start in St. Paul, where the Wild has been one of the best home-ice teams in the NHL this season.
"It'd be nice once the season ends, we get to wait at home and wait for them opposed to wasting a travel day to head down here," said Wild forward Ryan Hartman. "But at the same time, it's not gonna make or break our playoffs. It's playoff hockey. Obviously home ice is awesome.
"It's not going to make or break us, but obviously we'd like to start at home."
The Wild enters play versus the Sharks riding a 10-game home point streak, going 8-0-2 during that span.
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to earn the start for the Wild in goal. Fleury is coming off a fantastic 34-save effort in a 3-2 overtime win in Dallas on Thursday night, a game where he also had the primary assist on the winning goal in extra time.
In doing so, he became just the second Wild goaltender to have an assist on an overtime goal and the 11th to assist on a goal of any kind.
In six starts in a Wild uniform, Fleury has been outstanding, posting a 2.36 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. He's in search of his second three-start winning streak since joining Minnesota on March 21.
The Wild will be without Tyson Jost, who sustained a lower-body injury in the loss to St. Louis on Saturday and did not return. Evason said Jost probably could have returned to that game and could likely go on Sunday, but said rest and getting the injury fully healed will take precedent.
Connor Dewar is expected to play in his stead.
Minnesota will also be without defensemen Matt Dumba and Jon Merrill as well as forward Jordan Greenway, all of whom are nursing upper-body injuries.
Former Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen started Saturday night in Dallas, meaning veteran James Reimer seems likely to start versus the Wild.
Reimer is 18-16-8 with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in 44 games (42 starts) this season. He stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 4-1 victory at Xcel Energy Center on Nov. 16.
Greenway had a pair of goals in a 5-2 Wild victory at SAP Center on Dec. 9 in the only other meeting.
Timo Meier leads the Sharks' offense with 33 goals, 40 assists and 73 points. Tomas Hertl has 61 points and Logan Couture has 50 points.