Zuccarello missed the first month of the season with a lower-body injury and now returns to the sidelines, placed on Injured Reserve due to an upper-body injury. The 38-year-old Zuccarello has been effective when healthy, with 12 points (2G / 10A) in 15 games.
Minnesota has steadily rotated its goalies over the past month, but will give Gustavsson rare consecutive starts on Thursday when he tends twine against their divisional rivals, the Dallas Stars. Jesper Wallstedt has deservedly received a lot of praise for his goaltending abilities lately for Minnesota, but Gustavsson has been no slouch himself. The 27-year-old Gustavsson has posted excellent numbers lately, with a 2.15 GAA and .924 SV% in 10 games since the beginning of November (6-2-2). Minnesota enters the action on Thursday as a +127 home underdog against a Dallas team that has been cruising lately, going 9-0-2 in its last 11 games.
Fabbri has battled a myriad of injuries in his career, making his return to the NHL this season a challenging one. He signed a PTO with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) last week, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in three games, and ultimately earned himself a one-year, two-way contract. The 29-year-old Fabbri has 216 points (106G / 110A) in 442 career NHL games, but has only played more than 56 games in a season once in the last decade. With Nick Bjugstad (upper body) expected to miss at least a couple games, Fabbri will draw into the lineup as his replacement.
Fabbri has battled a myriad of injuries in his career, making his return to the NHL this season a challenging one. He signed a PTO with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) last week, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in three games, and ultimately earned himself a one-year, two-way contract. The 29-year-old Fabbri has 216 points (106G / 110A) in 442 career NHL games, but has only played more than 56 games in a season once in the last decade.
Hunt will make his first appearance since November 19th as the Wild are opting to dress seven defensemen on Monday. He will slot into the lineup in place of Tyler Pitlick, who is out with an undisclosed injury.
Wild head coach John Hynes mentioned the Wild were dealing with some game-time decisions for Monday night's game, though it appears Pitlick is the only one unavailable. Daemon Hunt will draw into the lineup in his place.
Minnesota has struggled offensively lately, relying heavily on its goaltending while scoring two or fewer goals in each of its last five games (2-2-1). Gustavsson will return to the crease on Monday, looking to rebound after allowing three goals on 30 shots (.900 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. The 27-year-old Swedish goalie has a 2.76 GAA and .905 SV% in 18 games this season (7-8-3). Minnesota enters the action on Monday as a -130 road favorite against a Seattle team on a four-game losing streak (0-4-0).
McCarron missed Tuesday's game with the undisclosed injury but is available for Thursday night's game in Florida. Tyson Jost will sit in his place.
Jesper Wallstedt has been outstanding for Minnesota, with four shutouts in his last six starts, but John Hynes and the coaching staff remain committed to a goalie rotation and will turn to Gustavsson on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. That said, Gustavsson has been no slouch himself, posting an elite 1.80 GAA and .939 SV% in his last four games (3-0-1). Minnesota has points in 12 straight games (10-0-2) and enters the action on Thursday as -115 road favorites against a Flames team they defeated 2-0 a few weeks ago.
Yurov is battling an undisclosed injury and will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday when Minnesota faces the Calgary Flames. The 21-year-old rookie, a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, has seen prime deployment lately playing on a line with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. He has seven points (3G / 4A) in 21 games this season.
Petry has a -3 plus/minus while averaging fewer than 13 minutes of ice-time in his last three games and will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch on Thursday. The veteran defenseman has five assists and a -6 plus/minus through 25 games this season. Donovan Sebrango will draw into the lineup as Petry's replacement.
Minnesota has been on a torrid pace lately, with points in 11 straight games (9-0-2), in part due to excellent tandem goaltending led by rookie Jesper Wallstedt. The 23-year-old Wallstedt has been nothing short of sensational lately, near perfect, posting an other-worldly 1.20 GAA, .967 SV%, and three shutouts in his last six games (6-0-0). He has a 1.93 GAA and .938 SV% in nine games this season (7-0-2).
Yurov is battling an undisclosed injury and will not play on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 21-year-old rookie, a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, has seen prime deployment lately playing on a line with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. He has seven points (3G / 4A) in 21 games this season.
McCarron exited Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in the second period after only 8:32 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury. The 30-year-old forward has five points (1G / 4A) in and 68 hits in 25 games this season.
