The Minnesota Wild entered the game against the Arizona Coyotes as one of the best teams in the league over the last couple of weeks after winning their previous two games at home against the Vegas Golden Knights, and were looking to take advantage of a Coyotes team who, despite grabbing 3 out of 4 points, were heavily outplayed in their previous two games against the Colorado Avalanche.
The first five minutes or so of the first period were not particularly eventful for either team, as they both seemed to be feeling each other out and trying to determine what the pace of the game would be.