wild gameday

9:30 P.M. at SAN JOSE • SAP CENTER • FSN, 100.3-FM

Preview: The Wild begins a three-game road trip; it has won four of its past five on the road but is 2-11-2 in its past 15 at San Jose. … The Sharks have won four of their past five and beat the Wild in a shootout on Oct. 30.

Players to watch: Wild C Mikko Koivu (eight points in the past seven games), LW Zach Parise (12 points in the past 10 games) and RW Jason Pominville have five-game point streaks. Koivu has won 42 of 59 faceoffs the past two games (.711) and 70 faceoffs the past four games. He ranks sixth in NHL in faceoff win percentage (.569). Don't be surprised if Darcy Kuemper gets the start in goal over Niklas Backstrom, who beat the Islanders 5-4 on Tuesday. … Former Wild Brent Burns is seconds among NHL defensemen with eight goals and is second with 23 points. Sharks LW Patrick Marleau has scored 18 goals and 35 points in 51 games vs. the Wild.

Numbers: The Wild has allowed nine goals on 40 shots the past two games. … The Sharks' power play against the Wild in the past 10 home games is 15-for-43 (34.9 percent). … The Wild has scored 13 goals in its past four road games.

Injuries: Wild D Keith Ballard (head), D Marco Scandella (suspended) and LW Matt Cooke (hip flexor) are out. Sharks LW Raffi Torres (knee) and RW Tyler Kennedy (shoulder) are out; G Antti Niemi (tweak), D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (shoulder), F Mike Brown (leg) and RW Matthew Nieto (lower body) are questionable.

MICHAEL RUSSO