WILD GAMEDAY

vs. Florida at Xcel Energy Center: 7 p.m. Thursday

TV; radio: BSN; 100.3 FM

Stats and analytics: Tap here.

Today's line: Wild by 1.5.

For the fans: The Wild are hosting a "Green Carpet" event in the St. Paul RiverCentre lobby, where fans can watch players and alumni arrive beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Pregame reading: Joel Eriksson Ek is one of the Wild's most important players — even if he doesn't always realize that.

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Sarah McLellan's preview:

Opening bell: Welcome back to the NHL, which continues to entertain with its parity. Just look at the Wild's opening-night opponent: the bottom-seeded Panthers knocked off the winningest team in league history in the Bruins last season before advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they were eventually ousted by the Golden Knights.

Watch him: Panthers RW Matthew Tkachuk was the definition of clutch during Florida's run. Three of his 11 goals came in overtime and another was a series-clinching goal with five seconds left in regulation that sent the Panthers to the final.

Injuries: Wild D Jared Spurgeon (upper body); Panthers C Sam Bennett (lower body), D Aaron Ekblad (shoulder) and D Brandon Montour (shoulder).

Forecast: This has the makings of a competitive clash. Florida has been a tough matchup for the Wild in recent years, and the Panthers' forward group has high-end talent. But the loss of Ekblad and Montour is huge, and the Wild could exploit this new-look defense for Florida. Not only are the Wild starting with momentum from a 5-1 preseason, being at home should help, too.

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