• The Wild has used the start of a seven-game stretch at Xcel Energy Center to its advantage, knocking off Tampa Bay and clobbering Dallas 7-0 Saturday. Minnesota will look to keep that momentum going when it hosts Florida on Monday. The Wild is still on the fringe of the playoff race.
• The Timberwolves also have a home game Monday vs. Denver and will hope this week to be as close to full strength as possible. They already got Karl-Anthony Towns back after a 15-game absence; now we'll see when guard Allen Crabbe — acquired last week in the Jeff Teague trade — makes his debut. He was out Saturday because of an illness.
• The Gophers men's basketball team has played its way back into NCAA tournament consideration thanks to improved play starting in mid-December with an upset of Ohio State. But the Gophers have still yet to win a true road game this season. They get another chance against the now-reeling Buckeyes on Thursday in Columbus.
• The Gophers men's hockey team hasn't had a home series against a Big Ten opponent since late November. That will change this weekend when Ohio State comes to 3M Arena and Mariucci for a Friday-Saturday series. Ohio State was ranked No. 9 in the most recent USCHO.com poll.
• TwinsFest has been reduced from three days to two (no Sunday this year), but it's still your chance to think about baseball in the midst of winter's bitter chill. It runs from 4-9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday at Target Field.
