wild gameday
6 p.m. at Washington • FSN, 100.3-FM
Preview: This is the only opponent the Wild hasn't seen this season. This is the first of two meetings with former Nashville coach Barry Trotz's Capitals. The Wild is 1-5-1 all-time at Washington and 7-0 against the Capitals in St. Paul. The Wild, winner of seven of nine on the road, is 14-2-1 since the All-Star break and 16-3-2 in the Devan Dubnyk era. The Capitals, the NHL's sixth-best offensive and defensive team, have won six of their past nine. The Wild allow the fewest shots per game in the NHL (26.9).
Players to watch: Dubnyk is expected to make his 22nd consecutive start. He has allowed 34 goals in 21 games and two or fewer in 16. D Matt Dumba has four goals in his past seven games and is plus-8 his past eight games. The Wild is 28-10-1 with him in the lineup. LW Zach Parise has no points his past four games. Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin and C Nicklas Backstrom are tied for the league lead with 67 points each with Ovechkin leading with 43 goals, 19 power-play goals and 10 game-winners.
Numbers: The Capitals are 30-1-4 when scoring first and 28-1-3 when leading after two periods. … The Wild has outscored opponents 25-8 in the 21 first periods since Dubnyk's arrival. The Wild is 28-6-3 when it scores first and has scored first in 14 of 17 games since the All-Star break. … The Wild has killed 47 of 48 opposing power plays in the past 17 games.
Injuries: Wild D Jared Spurgeon (head) and D Nate Prosser (illness) are questionable. D Marco Scandella (oblique), LW Jason Zucker (collarbone), LW Ryan Carter (upper body), LW Matt Cooke (sports hernia) and D Keith Ballard (concussion) are out. Capitals D John Erskine (neck) is out.
MICHAEL RUSSO
