Calgary is the opposite case. The Flames are 2-6-0, and until Sunday they hadn't won a home game. Then they beat the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 and ended Carolina's 7-game winning streak. Yegor Sharangovich won it with 4:28 left, Morgan Frost had a goal and an assist, and Devin Cooley made 34 saves. Calgary has nothing scheduled between that game and this one, so it gets a full rest while Minnesota plays in Edmonton.
The trouble for Calgary is that 1 good night doesn't erase the rest of the home stretch. The Flames gave up 7 to Colorado and 4 to Anaheim on Saddledome ice before the Carolina game, and they've scored 3 or fewer in 4 of their last 5. Cooley stole one against the Hurricanes, but a team that needs its goalie to face 36 shots to beat anybody is living close to the edge. The Wild have held Columbus to 14 shots and won 5-4 and 4-2 on their own home ice, so they can win a tight game or a high-scoring one.
The injury lists are lopsided. Calgary is missing Jonathan Huberdeau (hip, IR) and Samuel Honzek (lower body, week-to-week), which costs it some scoring on the wing. Minnesota is missing 3 defensemen and 2 bottom-6 forwards, and Nico Sturm is still out with a concussion. Spurgeon, Maatta and Sturm are all traveling with the team, which keeps their return a possibility during the trip. If any of them is back by Thursday, this is a different Wild lineup than the one on paper today. Puck drop is 7:00 PM MT.