A defining season for the Wild starts Friday; NFL picks include a very interesting Vikings game

Introduction : Host Michael Rand stayed up relatively late to watch the end of the epic deciding game of Giants vs. Dodgers , which finished after a clutch hit by Cody Bellinger and a bad check swing call on the Giants. In the big picture of it all, this much was not a surprise: The team with the biggest payroll in baseball advanced in the playoffs, while the overachiever did not. 5:00 : Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan joins the show to preview a season that begins Friday in Anaheim. Can the Wild sustain last year's level of success -- this year against better competition and over 82 games? What does Year 2 of Kirill Kaprizov look like now that he won't take any teams by surprise ? Can Kevin Fiala solidify his place in the team's long-term future? And what will this revamped defense look like? Those are some of the key story lines heading into an intriguing season. 20:00 : Star Tribune NFL/Vikings writer Mark Craig joins the show for the weekly picks segment . The Vikings started out as a betting underdog against Carolina, but doubts over Christian McCaffrey's availability have moved the line a few points and now Minnesota is favored. It's a huge swing game for the Vikings, and it comes right after a wild ending against Detroit.