wild gameday

2 P.M. at Los Angeles • FSN, 107.9-FM

Preview: The Wild, coming off a 2-1 loss at Anaheim, wraps up a two-game Southern California trip at L.A. in the first of a Staples Center doubleheader. The Lakers play a preseason game later in the day against Utah. The Wild went 2-0 at the Staples Center last season and 2-0-1 against the eventual Stanley Cup champions. The Wild is 5-1-1 (all one-goal wins) against the Kings since March 2012.

Players to watch: Captain Mikko Koivu, the all-time leading scorer for the Wild, has no points in three games. Koivu has 24 points in 27 career games against the Kings. LW Thomas Vanek is still searching for his first goal with the Wild despite seven shots in Anaheim. RW Jason Pominville has 11 points in 11 games against the Kings. G Niklas Backstrom, the Wild's all-time leader with 189 wins, will make his season debut. The super-fast Tanner Pearson-Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli line has accounted for eight of the Kings' 12 goals in five games. They're nicknamed, "That 70s line," because Pearson wears 70, Carter wears 77 and Toffoli wears 73. C Anze Kopitar has 26 points in 30 games against the Wild. G Jonathan Quick is 8-4-3 against the Wild with a 2.48 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.

Numbers: The Wild leads the NHL with a .972 save percentage and ranks third with 24 shots per game allowed. … The Wild's power play is 0-for-11; its penalty kill is 11-for-11. … The Wild is 23-16-11 vs. the Kings, 12-9-4 at Los Angeles. … Seven players have scored goals for the Wild.

Injuries: Kings RW Marian Gaborik (groin), C Trevor Lewis (upper body) and D Jake Muzzin (upper body) are out.

MICHAEL RUSSO