The Anaheim Ducks meet up with the Minnesota Wild for the final meeting between the two teams. Both teams missed the playoffs last year after entering March in the top eight of the Western Conference. They cannot afford the same downfall this year.
The Ducks are coming off a six game winning streak that was snapped Monday with a loss at home. They have won seven straight at home. It is the longest run the Ducks have had since the club-record 11-game winning streak in the 2009-10 season. They have yet to lose two straight and are hoping to carry that momentum into March after winning 11 games in the month of February. The team is currently tied with Montreal for the second-most points in the NHL with 29. Their offense has been one of the league's best this season, averaging at least 3.33 goals per game. Kyle Palmieri has scored six of his seven goals at home this season and hopes to keep that going. The Ducks are also capitalizing on the power play, having converted 8 of 14 opportunities in their last four games. The Ducks rookie goalie Victor Fasth is 9-1-0 overall and is undefeated in his last four home starts.
This is the second of back-to-back games for the Minnesota. Niklas Backstrom is coming off a game where he stopped 28 shots and had 23 saves on the game. The Wild may decide to start Darcy Kuemper who split his first two starts and has not played since Feb. 17. The Wild have won four of five overall with 12 goals. They are 2 for 22 on the power play over their last seven road games. Zach Parise is leading the team with eight goals on the season, but only have three in his last 14 games. The Wild need for him to get back on track so they can keep up the winning momentum.
