Game Preview: Minnesota Wild vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Minnesota Wild will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night after returning home from a three-game road trip.

The Wild went 1-1-1 on the road trip, bringing their overall record to 3-1-1. After a 4-3 victory against the Arizona Coyotes last Thursday, the Wild were not able to continue their undefeated record; dropping the next two games against the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks.

The Blue Jackets have yet to win a game, and the hiring of John Tortorella was announced on Wednesday, October 21, as the new head coach, after firing Todd Richards.

Tortorella has a long history as a coach in the NHL and has found success along the way, so he could change the Blue Jackets’ performance for the better.

Despite the Blue Jackets’ poor record, the Wild should not expect to have an easy win cut out for them, as Columbus will most likely bring their best game to the Xcel Energy Center in a desperate attempt to find their first victory of the season.

Wild fans can expect continued contributions from Zach Parise, as he recorded three points on Minnesota’s road trip.

Defenseman Ryan Suter has also been playing well, assisting on many of the team’s goals this season–five assists in the first four of their five games.

As usual, the team’s young guns such as Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker, Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter are expected to produce points.

Ryan Johansen, captain Nick Foligno and Brandon Saad have started the season off strongly for the Blue Jackets, despite their team’s poor record. Fans should watch these players, as it would not be surprising to see them on the score sheet.

Thursday’s game should be a close one, as both the Wild and the Blue Jackets hope to start a winning streak.