KANATA, Ontario – The Wild's last venture on the road wasn't successful, with the team losing all three games.
And the circumstances have only gotten tougher as it begins a three-game trip Monday afternoon against the Senators sitting in a 0-4 hole to start the season.
"If you do the process right, and you don't get lost with the process, once you have some success, you'll keep building on that success," coach Bruce Boudreau said.
After falling 7-4 to the Penguins Saturday at home, the Wild could debut another new lineup Monday but some of the change may be a result of injury.
Winger Mats Zuccarello didn't practice Sunday, and his status is up in the air as he deals with bumps and bruises.
If call-up Gerald Mayhew draws in after getting summoned from the minors Sunday, it would be his NHL debut.
With three goals and three assists in the American Hockey League, Mayhew is Iowa's leading scorer.
Still, the Wild is waiting for its top-six to make a major impact.
To try to get those lines going, Boudreau added sparkplug Ryan Hartman to the first unit with winger Kevin Fiala and center Eric Staal. And he shifted Jason Zucker from the left side to the right alongside Zach Parise and captain Mikko Koivu.
"You can only go through so many things," Boudreau said. "Then you've just got to play. Whatever position you're in, right wing, left wing, play the game the way it's supposed to be played, and then things start turning around."
Projected lineup:
Kevin Fiala-Eric Staal-Ryan Hartman
Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Jason Zucker
Marcus Foligno-Joel Eriksson Ek-Luke Kunin
Gerald Mayhew-Victor Rask-Jordan Greenway
Ryan Suter-Matt Dumba
Jonas Brodin-Jared Spurgeon
Carson Soucy-Brad Hunt
Alex Stalock
Key numbers:
9-6: How the Wild fared in the first game of a back-to-back last season.
7-4: The Wild's record in day games in 2018-19.
3: Points in defenseman Brad Hunt's last two games.
5-1-1: Career record for goalie Alex Stalock vs. the Senators.
4-1-2: Performance by the Wild in its last seven trips to Ottawa.
About the Senators:
Like the Wild, the Senators also got off to a rough start by dropping their first three games. They finally won Saturday, edging the Lightning 4-2. After acquiring forward Vladislav Namestnikov from the Rangers last week, Namestnikov made an immediate impact. In two games, he has two goals and two assists. Winger Brady Tkachuk also has a team-high two goals.
