wild gameday

Last update: December 19, 2007 - 10:50 PM

Preview: The New York Rangers make their first trip to Xcel Energy Center since Oct. 10, 2003, and they arrive on the heels of an impressive 4-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The Wild is 2-5-1 all-time vs the Rangers. But the Wild is hot, 7-3 since center Pavol Demitra returned from injury.

Players to watch: New York has a talent-laden roster that includes the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, Brendan Shanahan and Scott Gomez. Tuesday Jagr, Gomez and Martin Straka were reunited on a line and the result was three of the team's four goals. It is a good sign for the Rangers, who are still 2-4-1 with 26 goals allowed and 14 scored in their past seven games.

Numbers: Jagr has only two assists in his past seven games. ... Wild defenseman Brent Burns has four points in his past three games. ... Wild goaltender Josh Harding is 3-0 with a .949 save percentage and a 1.67 goals-against average in his past three games.

Injuries: For the Wild, W Derek Boogaard (back), C Mikko Koivu (leg) and D Petteri Nummelin are out. Nummelin, already on IR, was sick and missed Wednesday's practice. For the Rangers, Sean Avery (left wrist) is on IR while W Marcel Hossa (flu) is day-to-day.

KENT YOUNGBLOOD

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