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Minnesota Wild News

Foligno (illness) returned to practice on Monday; expected to be in the lineup on Tuesday.

Foligno missed both of the Blue Jackets’ games over the weekend because of an illness, but he was back on the ice this afternoon and should be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Foligno has had a great season to date, having scored 10 goals with 12 assists (22 points) in 24 games.

Nick Foligno
The Canadiens have recalled Mike McCarron from St. John’s (AHL).

McCarron, 21, has picked up four goals and eight assists (12 points) in 21 games with St. John’s this season. He was called-up prior to Saturday’s game, but will not draw into the lineup vs. Colorado. He has one goal and one assist in 20 career NHL games.

Michael McCarron
Pickard will start Saturday vs. the Canadiens.

Pickard allowed two goals on 31 shots in Colorado’s win in Boston on Thursday. Pickard has gone 5-2-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .922 SV% this season and tonight he will start for the second straight game. Tonight he will likely go head-to-head with Carey Price—Montreal has lost three of their last five.

Calvin Pickard
Pickard will start Thursday in Boston.

Pickard allowed five goals on 33 shots in Colorado’s loss to Nashville on November 29th. Pickard has lost his last two starts while allowing seven goals on 64 shots (.891 SV%) and tonight he gets back between the pipes after Semyon Varlamov started the last three. Tonight Pickard starts in Boston—so far he has gone 3-0-0 with a 2.10 GAA and .932 SV% on the road.

Calvin Pickard
Pickard will start Tuesday vs. the Predators.

Pickard allowed two goals on 31 shots in Colorado’s loss to the Canucks on Saturday. Despite the loss, it was a strong outing for Pickard, so he will start his second straight game tonight vs. Nashville. Pickard has made three starts on home-ice this season, going 1-1-1 with a 1.96 GAA and .932 SV% at the Pepsi Center.

Calvin Pickard
Pickard will start Saturday for the Avalanche.

Pickard gave up two goals on 43 shots in Colorado’s win in Minnesota last Saturday. Semyon Varlamov started the last two games, but he is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, so Pickard will go tonight vs. the Canucks. Pickard has gone 4-1-0 with a 2.07 GAA and .931 SV% in five starts and one relief appearance this season.

Calvin Pickard
Pickard will start Saturday in Minnesota.

Pickard allowed four goals on 25 shots in Colorado’s loss to Arizona on November 8th. Semyon Varlamov started the last four games, but Pickard will face the Wild for the second time this season. In their last meeting, Pickard stopped all 32 shots that he faced in a 1-0 shutout win.

Calvin Pickard
The Wild have assigned Joel Eriksson Ek to Farjestad (Sweden).

Eriksson Ek, 19, had two goals and three assists (five points) in nine games with Minnesota. Before burning the first year of his entry-level contract, they’ve sent him back to Sweden. The former first round pick (No.20 overall in 2015) had 15 points (9G / 6A) in 41 games with Farjestad last season.

Joel Eriksson Ek
Pickard will start Tuesday vs. the Coyotes.

Pickard stopped all 32 shots that he faced in Colorado’s shutout win over the Wild on Saturday. Pickard also stopped all three shots that he faced after replacing Semyon Varlamov in the Avs’ loss on Sunday. Pickard comes into Tuesday with a 3-0-0 record, 1.50 GAA and .946 SV% on the season and draws a strong matchup vs. the Coyotes.

Calvin Pickard
Pickard will start Saturday afternoon vs. the Wild.

Pickard allowed two goals on 26 shots in Colorado’s win in Arizona last Saturday. Semyon Varlamov has struggled in his last two outings, so Pickard will get the first game of the Avalanche back-to-back. Pickard has won his two starts while posting a 2.49 GAA and .912 SV%, but makes for a risky start vs. a hot Wild squad.

Calvin Pickard
Spurgeon (upper-body) will return to the Wild’s lineup on Saturday.

Spurgeon missed the last four games, but will return to the lineup vs. the Stars on Saturday. Spurgeon has one goal and one assist in four games this season, but won’t start tonight with Ryan Suter. Instead he will play with Nate Prosser, as Mathew Dumba played with Suter in Spurgeon’s absence.

Jared Spurgeon
Spurgeon (upper-body) will return to the Wild's lineup on Saturday.

Spurgeon has missed the last four games, but will return to the lineup on Saturday. Spurgeon has picked up one goal and one assist in four games this season. Nate Prosser will likely come out of the lineup to make room for Spurgeon.

Jared Spurgeon
Pickard will start Saturday in Arizona.

Pickard allowed three goals on 31 shots in Colorado’s win over the Penguins on October 17th. With Semyon Varlamov starting last night, Pickard will make his second start of the season tonight in Arizona. Pickard makes for a solid spot-start against a Coyotes team that has lost five of their first seven despite averaging 3.14 goals per game.

Calvin Pickard
Spurgeon (upper-body) missed Friday’s practice and is questionable for Saturday’s game.

Spurgeon was hurt in Thursday’s game vs. the Maple Leafs and then missed yesterday’s practice, which puts his status for tonight’s game in jeopardy. If Spurgeon can’t play, look for Mathew Dumba to get back into the lineup.

Jared Spurgeon
Pickard will start Monday vs. the Penguins.

Semyon Varlamov started Colorado’s season opener on Saturday, but they will turn to Pickard tonight in the first game of a back-to-back set. Pickard was 7-6-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .922 SV% in 13 starts and seven relief appearances last year. The 24-year-old will be a strong spot-start option throughout the season, but is a risky option tonight in Pittsburgh.

Calvin Pickard