Quinn Hughes has missed two straight practices this week due to an illness, but the expectation is that he'll play on Saturday.

Gustavsson has long figured to be the favorite for his experience, making 49 starts in his third season as the primary starter for the Wild. He has a 4-6 record in the playoffs on his resume, having made a stellar postseason debut three years ago with 51 saves to beat the Stars in double overtime of Game 1 of that first-round series.

Ryan Hartman still "comes to the rink in a bad mood" but is learning to toe the line. Ellen Schmidt / ST. PAUL, Minn. — It’s mid-April, so now the ice shrinks. Space tightens. Tempers flare. Bodies bang.

The Wild’s playoff path isn’t unfair — it’s exactly what contenders are supposed to conquer. It takes 16 victories over four ravenous teams across two months of shared sacrifice for one bearded brigade to survive the physical and emotional furnace of the NHL playoffs and sip from Lord Stanley’s silver chalice.

Chef Erick Harcey of Minneapolis takes inspiration from Rice-A-Roni for this recipe. He cooks wild rice with butter, herbs, and vermicelli — which lends a starchy creaminess lacking from the toothsome rice — and serves it alongside chicken thighs braised in a Granny Smith apple sauce.

Danila Yurov and Robby Fabbri scored in the regular-season finale for the Wild (46-24-12), who finished third in the Central Division and will play the second-place Dallas Stars in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Wild closed out the regular season with a victory against the Ducks in a very different situation than last year's Game 82.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One team already knew its first-round playoff opponent, and the other was still trying to advance. There was no confusing who was who. The Nashville Predators held off the Minnesota Wild 2-1 Saturday at Bridgestone Arena for the Wild’s second consecutive loss.