Carolina at Minnesota

Carolina is six points behind Detroit for the final Wild Card spot and hungry for a win. They are sound fundamentally, eighth in the NHL in penalty killing and have killed 19 of 20 penalties over the last nine contests. They face a struggling Minnesota Wild team that hasn't won since last Saturday. The Wild allowed the tying goal with 7.1 seconds left in regulation of a 3-2 overtime defeat to Ottawa on Tuesday. On Thursday, they yielded their highest goal total of the season in a 7-4 loss to New Jersey. Minnesota has one win in its last five and threw up a major red flag with Thursday's performance. The Wild weren't focused in the first period as the Devils chased goalie Devan Dubnyk with three goals on eight shots. Minnesota has a below average offense and one of the worst penalty killing units in the game. Minnesota is 4-12 against the Eastern Conference and on a 3-11 run at home, so jump on the big dog. Play Carolina.