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Coming off a much, much needed win, Columbus will be going for back-to-back victories for the first time since November.
Behind a pair of goals from Derick Brassard, Columbus beat the Ducks 3-2 on Friday, rebounding from a heartbreaking loss to L.A. in which a clock malfunction allowed the Kings to slip in the winning goal just before the final buzzer (which, replays show, should have already gone off). That it was the Blue Jackets’ sixth straight loss didn’t help matters.
Minnesota, which is 25-19-8, snapped an 11-game road losing streak with a Jan. 24 win at Colorado. They won again at Colorado on Feb. 2 before falling on Saturday in Dallas.
Minnesota’s Mikko Koivu could be making a return to the ice against the Blue Jackets, which are 14-32-6 and have lost two straight to the Wild. Nothing has been officially announced, but Koivu has been practicing with the team and is close to returning. He led Minnesota with 33 points when he went down with a shoulder injury on Jan. 14.