wild gameday
7 P.M. VS. COLUMBUS • XCEL • FSN, 100.3-FM
Preview: The Wild ended a three-game winless skid with Thursday's 2-1 victory over the Rangers. The Wild is 7-0-2 at home since Jan. 14. Saturday's game closes a four-game homestand before the Wild heads east for three games. … This is the Blue Jackets' only trip to Minnesota. They're battling for a playoff spot in the East and are 5-1-1 this month.
Players to watch: G Darcy Kuemper, who has won a Wild franchise rookie record 12 games, will start. LW Zach Parise has eight goals and eight assists in the past 12 games. C Mikko Koivu has no goals, two assists and six shots in five games since returning from ankle surgery. Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky is 17-5-2 in his past 24 games. C Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter's junior linemate, is tied for 15th in the NHL with 26 goals.
Injuries: Wild F Jason Zucker (leg) is out. Blue Jackets D Ryan Murray (knee), RW Blake Comeau (suspended) and RW Jared Boll (ankle) are out. D Fedor Tyutin (ankle), injured in the Olympics, is expected to return.
MICHAEL RUSSO
