The Minnesota Wild are still sitting pretty in first place in the Northwest Division despite an ugly five-game losing streak.
On Thursday, Minnesota will try to put an end to their first major slump of the season when they take on the Edmonton Oilers. The good news is that the Wild are already 3-1 against the Oilers this season, with 2-1, 2-1 and 3-2 shootout wins along with a 5-2 loss. The bad news is that Minnesota is ice cold on their current road trip through western Canada, having lost 4-0 to the Vancouver Canucks and 2-1 to the Calgary Flames.
The Wild aren't the only team mired in a slump -- the Oilers have also dropped four straight games, winless since Dec. 9, having most recently lost 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.
The Wild, 20-10-5, with 45 points lead the Northwest by three points over the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers, 14-16-3, are stuck in last place in the Northwest.
Injuries and insult have gone hand in hand for Minnesota, and two of their important players, captain Mikko Koivu (leg) and winger Devin Setoguchi (knee), might be out again on Thursday, via ESPN.
Thursday's game is set to start at 9:30 p.m. EST.