Game Preview: Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes

After a deserved four-day break, the Minnesota Wild will square off against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.

Both teams have started the season on a good note with records of 2-0-0. The Wild defeated the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues, while the Coyotes beat the Los Angeles Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This game will be the first of three on the road for the Wild; afterwards they will travel to California to take on the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks.

Fans can expect Zach Parise, who already has four goals on the season, to be a leader for the Wild during the road games. Many young players have also stepped up this season, and players such as Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter and Matt Dumba should contribute during the road trip games.

This will be Devan Dubnyk’s second time playing his former team since he was traded to the Wild in January 2015.

Although the Coyotes were not a playoff team last season, the Wild should still expect to have their work cut out for them, as they have many young players who are expected to step up, like Max Domi.

Also, on their roster are experienced players to provide leadership, such as Shane Doan, Antoine Vermette and Mikkel Boedker.

Like the Wild, the Coyotes are a defensive minded team, one with speed as well as size.

Both teams would like to keep their winning streak going, as it is important to start the season off strong, and get as many points as possible early on.