Mats Zuccarello with the Minnesota Wild (Via Getty Images) The Minnesota Wild travel to San Jose on Wednesday afternoon, looking to extend their impressive road winning streak. The franchise has won four consecutive games away from home as part of a dominant stretch that has them sitting near the top of the Central Division standings.The Sharks present an interesting challenge as one of the league’s surprise teams this season. San Jose won the previous meeting between these clubs 2-1 in overtime, giving them confidence heading into Wednesday’s rematch.
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Minnesota enters Wednesday’s contest with a stellar 24-10-6 record and 54 points. The Wild have been particularly effective away from home, posting an impressive 11-6-1 mark in road games this season.The team boasts a plus-20 scoring differential with 123 goals scored and just 103 allowed through 40 games. Those numbers reflect a balanced attack that can both generate offense and play solid defense when needed.Over their last 10 games, Minnesota has gone 8-1-1 while averaging 4.1 goals per game. The Wild have averaged just three penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while giving up only 2.2 goals per game during that stretch. The combination of offensive firepower and defensive responsibility has fueled their recent success.Kirill Kaprizov leads Minnesota with 23 goals and 24 assists through 40 games. Matthew Boldy has been red hot lately with nine goals and six assists over the past 10 contests, providing secondary scoring behind the superstar winger.
San Jose Sharks proving they belong in playoff conversation
San Jose has surprised many around the league with their performance this season. While Macklin Celebrini has been sensational with his points production, as the youngster has amassed 60 points in 39 games, the Sharks themselves sit at 19-17-3 with 41 points, keeping them in the thick of the Pacific Division playoff race.The team has been solid at home, posting a 10-7-3 record at SAP Center. San Jose has gone 17-5-2 in games where they score at least three goals, demonstrating their ability to win shootouts when the offense is clicking.While Tyler Toffoli paces the Sharks with 10 goals and 16 assists, Celebrini has delivered on the hype with seven goals and 13 assists over the last 10 games, giving San Jose a building block for the future.The Sharks have gone 6-4-0 over their past 10 contests while averaging 3.8 goals per game. However, they’ve also given up 3.5 goals per game during that span, highlighting defensive concerns that Minnesota could exploit.Both teams enter Wednesday’s matchup healthy with no injuries listed. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST at SAP Center as the Wild look to extend their road winning streak to five games while the Sharks aim to replicate their overtime victory from the previous meeting.Also Read: NHL rumors suggest Minnesota Wild may pursue center Ryan O’Reilly after Quinn Hughes trade