On Friday, the Minnesota Wild will take on the Edmonton Oilers, looking for their sixth straight win. Outside of the Boston Bruins (winners of ten straight), the Wild are the hottest team in the NHL right now. On Wednesday, they beat another team who is running hot in the Nashville Predators, eventually winning 3-2. Their current winning streak also includes the Blues, Avalanche, Blue Jackets and Ducks.
This is the third of six meetings between the two teams this season, with Minnesota winning both of the previous. In both games, Edmonton scored first, but the Wild came back to tie it and eventually win in the shootout 2-1. Minnesota has won the last 17 meetings between these two teams at the Xcel Energy Center - not losing since Jan. 16 of 2007.
Minnesota is, as noted, one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. The win over the Predators gave them a lot of confidence, but the Oilers do present a stiff challenge. Edmonton has been one of the better teams this season, and are second in the Northwest Division, which most would say was unexpected. That being said, they've cooled off lately, and the Wild should be favored in this matchup.
The game is set for 4:00 p.m. eastern.