Wild, Ducks looking for more consistent play going into matchup

The Minnesota Wild will try to bounce back from a demoralizing loss when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

The Wild are coming off a 3-2 home loss against their division rival Nashville Predators on Thursday. The defeat dropped Minnesota six points behind Nashville when a win could have pulled them within two.

Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian offered a simple assessment of his team's performance.

"We didn't get the job done," he said.

Next comes a home game against the Ducks, who also are looking to put their previous game behind them after losing 4-3 in overtime against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Anaheim has picked up three points in its past two games after losing the previous three in a row in regulation.

Ducks coach Greg Cronin said he wanted his players to finish strong after good starts.

"I thought the first period was good for us," Cronin said after the overtime loss. "I mean, I think they had more chances, but they just took the game over in the second period with possession time. We got caught on the ice too long.

"When that happens, you get tired legs. And I think they rode momentum all the way through the third period."

A major reason why the Ducks made it to overtime against Dallas was the effort of goaltender John Gibson, who made 40 saves in regulation. Gibson is 9-19-1 with a 3.09 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in 31 games this season, and he is expected to get the start against the Wild.

In 18 career games against Minnesota, Gibson is 7-6-4 with a 2.52 GAA and a .925 save percentage.

The Wild are expected to counter in net with Filip Gustavsson, who is 13-12-2 with a 3.28 GAA and an .896 save percentage in 28 games this season. He made 26 saves in Minnesota's most recent game against Nashville, which marked his fourth start in a row as veteran netminder Marc-Andre Fleury remains sidelined because of an upper-body injury.

Gustavsson has faced the Ducks twice in his career. He is 2-0-0 with a 2.40 GAA and a .923 save percentage.

Wild coach John Hynes said Gustavsson was not to blame for the most recent loss.

"A big emphasis was we had to be strong at our net front," Hynes said. "Two goals (were) both failed boxouts, and we knew they were going to be good in transition, and we gave up one coming into (defensive zone) coverage. So, it's mental sharpness."

Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 41 games this season. Joel Eriksson Ek is next with 39 points (21 goals, 18 assists) in 48 games.

Anaheim is led in scoring by Frank Vatrano, who has 34 points (21 goals, 13 assists) in 48 games. Troy Terry ranks second with 33 points (12, 21) in 45 games.

This will be the first of three meetings between the Wild and Ducks during the regular season. They are scheduled to meet again in Saint Paul on March 14, and they will match up in Anaheim on March 19.