Wild at Blue Jackets
6 p.m. Friday, Nationwide Arena (BSN, 100.3-FM)

Wild update: This is the ninth back-to-back for the Wild, which went 1-1 last week when it played at Philadelphia and Buffalo on consecutive nights. Overall, the Wild is 3-4-1 in the second half of back-to-backs. The last time the Wild faced off against the Blue Jackets was Feb. 28, 2020. That game finished in a 5-0 rout for the Wild. LW Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, and LW Jordan Greenway picked up two assists.

Blue Jackets update: Like the Wild, the Blue Jackets were also in action Thursday. playing at the New York Islanders. Going into that game, Columbus had dropped three in a row and all losses were by one goal; one ended in overtime and another a shootout. Overall, the Blue Jackets trail the playoff pace in the Eastern Conference by a hefty margin and are locked into fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. At home, Columbus is 15-12-3 and has scored 102 goals at Nationwide Arena, one of the best outputs in the NHL.