The Minnesota Wild are in a bit of a rut right now. Following a loss to the New Jersey Devils, the Wild have lost their last four games and five of their last six. A number of players have fallen into a bit of a slump. For example, veteran forward Mats Zuccarello has one assist in his last four games. This follows up a six-game point streak where he put up two goals and nine points.

On Friday, the Wild decided to shake up their lines. Head coach Dean Evason confirmed the changes after practice. Zuccarello is moving from the first line to the second, along with Ryan Hartman. Forwards Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy will replace them on the top line. Joel Eriksson Ek moves to the third line alongside Marcus Foligno and Pat Maroon.

Zuccarello spoke to the media on Friday, where he spoke about his part in this shakeup. “What we've been doing hasn't been working, so shake up the lines and see what happens, that's a good thing,” said the Wild forward, via NHL.com. “There's no excuse. We haven't been good enough in the last four in a row or whatever. We have to come together and get some wins.”

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There are a number of factors at play when it comes to their performance thus far. Minnesota has allowed the first goal in six of their 10 games to start the year. Furthermore, they are struggling on special teams, most notably on the power play.

Minnesota takes the ice again on Saturday, playing host to the visiting New York Rangers. They certainly hope these lineup changes can spark the team and help them break the skid. Evason definitely believes it will pay off. “We'll be ready to start tomorrow,” the Wild head coach said, via NHL.com.