Wild gameday

7 P.M. VS. Dallas • Xcel Energy Center • FSN, 100.3-FM

Preview: The Wild plays host to the final game in a so-far disappointing four-game homestand (1-2). The Wild has defeated the Stars five consecutive games at home since March 13, 2012, and in seven of the past eight visits. The Stars, who lead the Western Conference, hosted Vancouver on Saturday night and beat the Wild in overtime in Dallas on Nov. 14.

Players to watch: G Darcy Kuemper is expected to start for the Wild. It'll end a streak of 13 consecutive starts for Devan Dubnyk and be Kuemper's first start since he was yanked in Winnipeg on Oct. 25. It will be Kuemper's first home appearance and start since Jan. 6. Before Saturday night's game against Vancouver, Stars LW Jamie Benn led the NHL with 16 goals and ranked second with 32 points. C Tyler Seguin ranked third with 31 points and D John Klingberg led all NHL defensemen with 20 assists.

Numbers: The Stars lead the Western Conference with 3.55 goals per game and a 26.9 power-play success rate. … The Wild has the NHL's second-worst penalty kill, and worst at home.

Injuries: Wild RW Justin Fontaine (knee) is expected to return for the first time since Oct. 30. D Marco Scandella (lower body) and C Tyler Graovac (sports hernia) are out. Stars G Kari Lehtonen (upper body) is out and D Jason Demers (lower body) and LW Travis Moen (upper body) are questionable.

MICHAEL RUSSO