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The Minnesota Wild were leading the NHL in points and were firmly atop the Northwest Division at one point in the season, but it seems like that was such a long time ago, at this point. Since a seven-game winning streak at the end of November and beginning of January, the Wild have lost 15 of their last 16 games, and are presently on a four-game losing streak. Luckily, they have a chance to snap that streak against a team that is on a slump almost as bad as their own, and one they got the better of in their last outing.
Minnesota will play host to the Dallas Stars on Saturday, the first meeting between these two teams this season. Their last meeting was the final game of the 2010-11 season, when the Wild came back with three third-period goals to take a 5-3 win to deny the Stars a playoff berth. Presently, they're both on four-game losing streak. Minnesota is back at home for the first time in four games, hoping to get back in the win column following losses of 5-2, 5-1 and 4-1, the latter being their most recent loss in Toronto.
It will be interesting to see which team wins and gets back to winning ways, because both of them boast talented rosters and neither of them are technically out of things in regards to the playoffs. The game is set for 8:00 p.m. central.
For more on the Minnesota Wild, check out Hockey Wilderness. For an opposing viewpoint, go to Defending Big D. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NHL hub at SBNation.com/NHL.