After an excellent performance in his first game of the season on Tuesday, in which he saved 27 of 29 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, Fleury will find himself in the starter's crease for the second consecutive game. Dean Evanson and the Wild coaching staff clearly have faith in Fleury and, as such, the veteran netminder might see more action this season than initially anticipated. Filip Gustavsson will probably still see the heavier workload in net for Minnesota but it could be closer to a timeshare if Fleury continues to give his team a chance to win. Minnesota enters action on Thursday night as a slight -108 favourite against a Los Angeles Kings team that is coming off a dominant 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

Walker has yet to pick up a point in two games with Iowa (AHL) and is a -4 plus/minus but has been recalled to Minnesota Wednesday with the news that Alex Goligoski will be heading to the LTIR. Walker returns to the Wild, where he had a goal, an assist, eight SOG and a -1 plus/minus in nine games played in his rookie season in 2022-23.

Boyd made his season debut Monday vs. the New York Rangers but will head back to the press box Tuesday as a healthy scratch against the New York Islanders. The 30-year-old forward will be replaced by Michael Carcone on Arizona's fourth line. In his only appearance Monday, he failed to pick up any counting stats across 13 shifts and 9:06 TOI.

After serving as backup to Filip Gustavsson for the first two games of the season, Fleury will make his first start of the 2023-24 campaign. Fleury is in the 18th year of his NHL career and is coming off a season where he recorded a 2.85 GAA and .908 SV% in 46 games (24-16-4). Fleury's Vezina-caliber years are behind him but the veteran still has what it takes to serve as a reliable backup behind Gustavsson on what should be a defensively sound Wild team.

Johnson made his season debut last game vs. Montreal but will be a healthy scratch Monday vs. Toronto as MacKenzie Entwistle enters Chicago's lineup. The 25-year-old centre played 12 shifts, 9:29 TOI and was a -1 plus/minus in his only game played this season. He will hope to draw back into the Blackhawks' lineup soon after scoring four goals and six points in 57 games in 2022-23.

Boldy was off to a strong start in his third NHL season, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in two games, before suffering an upper-body injury on Saturday. Boldy is listed as week-to-week and will be a huge loss to Minnesota's offensive capabilities. Last season, Boldy recorded career-highs in goals and assists, scoring 63 points (31G / 32A) in 81 games. Marco Rossi could be a candidate to see increased offensive deployment to try and offset the loss from Boldy's absence.

Boyd will play his first game of the season after being a healthy scratch for the Coyotes in their season opener on Friday. Last season, Boyd scored 34 points (15G / 19A) in 82 games while playing an average of 16:32 per game. He is expected to slot in on the fourth line alongside Liam O'Brien and Jack McBain.

Gustavsson stopped all 41 shots that he faced in a shutout win over the Panthers on Thursday. Gustavsson picked up right where he left off in 2023. In his last 19 regular season starts, Gustavsson is 12-1-6 with a 1.83 GAA, .943 SV% and three shutouts. As good as he's been, he draws a tough matchup in Toronto on Saturday. He stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 2-1 OT loss in his only start vs. the Maple Leafs last year.

Johansson was forced to leave Thursday's opening night win against the Panthers, but head coach Dean Evason said that he cleared all the necessary tests and participated in Friday's practice. Expect Johansson to remain on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy on Saturday.

Boyd had 15 goals, 19 assists, 94 SOG, 26 PIMs and a -32 plus/minus through 82 games played with Arizona in 2022-23 but will be a healthy scratch for their season opener vs. New Jersey. It comes as a bit of a surprise after Boyd finished sixth in team scoring last season but he will be replaced by Jack McBain. Boyd is entering his sixth NHL season and has 45 goals and 110 points in 280 career games played.

Johansson left Thursday's win over the Panthers after getting clipped by an elbow by Uvis Balinskis. Post-game, the Wild did not have an update on Johansson's status and said that he'll be re-evaluated on Friday. If Johansson isn't available on Saturday, expect them to dress seven defensemen because they don't have a reserve forward on the roster and no cap space to bring one up (without having to waive Dakota Mermis).

Expectations are high this season for the 25-year-old Gustavsson, who made his presence known in his first season with the Wild, posting a 2.10 GAA and .931 SV% in 39 games (22-9-7) en route to eventually capturing the starting role from veteran Marc-Andre Fleury. As the confirmed starting goalie in Minnesota's season-opener, Gustavsson appears poised to pick up where he left off and should see an even larger role between the pipes this season. The Wild enter action tonight as -130 home favourites against the Florida Panthers, who will be without their top two defensemen, Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour.

Bogosian cleared waivers on Tuesday but has been recalled from Syracuse (AHL) on Wednesday. The 33-year-old defenseman missed the Lightnings' season-opening win over Nashville but will mark his 16th NHL season when he makes his first appearance for Tampa. He had a goal, four assists, 54 SOG, 42 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 46 games played with the Lightning in 2022-23.

Hartman is coming off a 37-point (15G / 22A), 59-game campaign, in which he predominantly centred a line between Kiril Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The nine-year veteran is expected to reassume his role as the top-line center for the Wild.

Spurgeon is expected to be out week-to-week as he deals with an upper-body injury and his presence will be greatly missed on Minnesota's back end. Last season, he led all Wild defensemen with 34 points (11G / 23A) and was second in time on ice, averaging 21:49 per game. With Spurgeon out, Alex Goligoski will likely become a regular in the lineup and Jonas Brodin and Brock Faber will be thrust into larger roles.

Foligno had seven goals, 14 assists, 97 PIMs, 83 SOG, and a -6 plus/minus in 2022-23 and signed a four-year, $16 million extension with Minnesota on Friday. The 32-year-old is entering his seventh season in Minnesota and has 116 goals and 272 points across 12 NHL seasons and 743 games played. He should have a key-role in the Wilds' bottom six yet again this season.

Zuccarello had 22 goals, 45 assists, 198 SOG, 26 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 2022-23 with Minnesota and has signed a two-year, $8.250 million contract extension ($4,125,000) with the Wild. The 36-year-old enters his fifth season with the Wild and has an impressive 186 goals and 573 points in 766 career games played. He is expected yet again to be a key cog on the Wilds' top line with Kirill Kaprizov.

Chisholm had five goals, 38 assists, 21 PIMs, and a -13 plus/minus through 59 games with Manitoba (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with Winnipeg. The 23-year-old defenseman was Winnipeg's 2018 fifth-round pick (150th overall) and has made two NHL appearances with the club, failing to pick up a point.

Shore had a goal, eight assists, 33 SOG, four PIMs, and a +6 plus/minus through 47 games played with Edmonton in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 AAV with Seattle. The 29-year-old joins his fifth NHL team after seasons in Dallas, Edmonton, Anaheim, and Columbus and has 50 goals, 135 points, and 69 PIMs across 422 career games in eight seasons.

Gustavsson had a 22-9-7 record, 2.10 GAA (2nd in NHL), and a .931 SV% (2nd in NHL) in his first season in Minnesota in 2022-23 and has signed a $11.25 million extension ($3,750,000 AAV). The 25-year-old netminder was acquired in July of 2022 for Cam Talbot from Ottawa and excelled in his first season with the Wild. He will man Minnesota's crease for the next three years and brings a 32-22-10 career record, and a .920 SV% and a .2.51 career GAA into 2023-24.