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Maybe the Minnesota Wild should go back on the road.More Wild coveragePhotos of the Week: 12/30/18 – 1/5/19Wild Breakaway: Wild start slow www.officialstarsproonline.com , finish fast in beating OttawaSpurgeon scores twice, Wild beat Senators 4-3WATCH: Wild’s Spurgeon scores pair of goals vs. OttawaSt. Cloud State’s Ryan Poehling shines at World Junior ChampionshipActually, they aren’t likely to volunteer for extra games away from the Xcel Energy Center, but their 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night was nothing like the 5-2-0 road trip they completed to get within three points of first-place Nashville in the Central Division.Article continues below ...When Minnesota returns to action Thursday night with a visit from the Vancouver Canucks, it hopes that the mistakes and missed chances of the previous game are replaced by the attention to detail and timely scoring that helped it do so well during its 15-day sojourn.“It just felt like some of the mistakes we made were none that we’ve been making over the last while,” forward Eric Staal said. “Against a good team, if Duby’s not standing on his head, which he still made some pretty good saves, it’s going to cost you. Tonight, it did.”Duby is goalie Devan Dubnyk, who’s on track for one of the best seasons of his career with an 8-4-2 record Dallas Stars T-Shirts Authentic , a 2.34 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. But he couldn’t do much to prevent Washington from jumping on a 3-0 second-period lead that held up, even as the Wild (11-5-2) got six power play chances against an opponent ranking 29th in the league while short-handed.Minnesota’s one real chance to get back into the game came after Mikko Koivu got the Wild on the board with an unassisted goal midway through the second period. It carried play to the Capitals for the remainder of the period but couldn’t shift momentum with a second goal.“We build that momentum and you can’t let it die down,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “You just have to do whatever you can, if you’re not putting them in the back of the net, to just get those opportunities and keep working. I guess we got away from it.”The Wild will attempt to get back to it against Vancouver (10-8-2), which got off to a surprisingly fast start but has shown signs of late that it might be regressing to the mean.The Canucks are at the end of a six-game road trip on which they have gone 1-2-2 with three straight losses, including a 5-2 decision Tuesday night against the New York Islanders.“It’s been a grind a little bit, but it’s not an excuse,” Vancouver coach Travis Green said. “In the NHL nowadays, you’ve got to be able to win on the road. We get home in a few days. We’ve got one more game and we’re going to finish this trip off with a win.”Vancouver gave up a weird own goal that snapped a 1-1 first-period tie when Josh Bailey’s pass hit off the skate of Chris Tanev, then allowed a backbreaking fourth goal in the third period as Tom Kuhnhackl booted home a centering pass. It was allowed to stand Dallas Stars Hoodies Authentic , even though it appeared to be a kicking motion.The teams met Oct. 29 in British Columbia, with Vancouver dumping Minnesota 5-2 behind two goals from electrifying rookie Elias Pettersson. He has 10 goals and seven assists in 14 games, but hasn’t scored during his team’s losing streak. If Saturday night was any indication, Eeli Tolvanen is ready for his second try at the NHL.The 19-year old Tolvanen, who looked overmatched in three games late last season, was called up Saturday morning from Milwaukee of the AHL due to another wave of injuries and illness that left the Nashville Predators without three of their top six forwards for a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.All Tolvanen did was pot his first NHL goal and add an assist in a four-goal first period that lifted Nashville to a 5-2 win, enabling it to regain sole possession of first place in the Central Division and the Western Conference.Article continues below ...Tolvanen and the Predators will try to close out a five-game homestand with a victory Monday night when they meet the Buffalo Sabres at Bridgestone Arena.With Filip Forsberg (broken hand) and Nick Bonino (illness) added to a growing injury list that includes defenseman P.K. Subban, right winger Viktor Arvidsson and center Kyle Turris, Nashville’s once-formidable depth is being stretched to its limits.The performance of Tolvanen, whose goal came on a wicked backhander to the top right corner, can only give the Predators hope and belief he might be ready to make the contribution they’ve believed he can since picking him in the first round of the 2017 draft.“I thought he moved through the game really well Dallas Stars Hats Authentic ,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “When he gets those opportunities in front of the net like he did tonight, it shows the talent he has to put the puck in the net. I thought the way he moved up and down the ice was great.”There was talk that when the Predators assigned Tolvanen to the AHL, he might return to the KHL. But Tolvanen took his nightly shifts in Milwaukee, scoring four goals and seven assists in 21 games, and averaging more than two shots per game.Tolvanen said his time in Milwaukee also helped him defensively.“I felt like I was more comfortable with the game system and all the guys there and the coaching staff,” he said. “I think it’s helped me a lot with my defensive game and just being more comfortable out there.”While Nashville (18-8-1) is hoping to finish its homestand at 3-2-0, Buffalo (17-7-3) is aiming to get back into the win column to close out a three-game road trip. After Tampa Bay ended the Sabres’ 10-game winning streak Thursday night with a 5-4 verdict, Florida dumped them 3-2 Friday night in overtime.Still, it’s been quite a turnaround for Buffalo, which was the worst team in the NHL in 2017-18. A third of the way through this season, it’s on pace for 111 points and is challenging Tampa Bay and Toronto for the Atlantic Division lead.“You talk about every team being ready. They know about the streak now Custom Dallas Stars Jerseys ,” said Sabres coach Phil Housley, a former assistant under Laviolette in Nashville. “They see where we are in the standings and we’re going to get everybody’s best game.”Former Predators backup goalie Carter Hutton (12-7-1, 2.63 goals-against average, .917 save percentage) is expected to oppose Pekka Rinne (11-4-1, 1.86, .934) in net.