Washington Capitals Host Resurgent Minnesota Wild in D.C.

The Washington Capitals (44-11-4) look to bounce back from their 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night when they host the Minnesota Wild (27-24-10) Friday night at Verizon Center. The Caps won the first bout between these two earlier in the month 4-3 in St. Paul on the strength of an Alex Ovechkin hat trick.

Days later, the Wild fired Head Coach Mike Yeo and replaced him with John Torchetti, who has since led them to a 4-2 record. The Wild, who are fighting to capture a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, have lost two straight and will be without Zach Parise who is out with an upper body injury.

For the Caps, the story is much the same as it has been since the All-Star…