Wild Gameday
9:30 p.m. at Los Angeles • FSN, 100.3-FM
Preview: The Wild, devastated by injury, begins a two-game road trip after closing a 2-2 homestand with consecutive victories. The Wild is 1-8-1 in its past 10 on the road and hasn't won in regulation on the road since Nov. 20. In the past 10 road games, the Wild has scored 14 goals. The Kings, the NHL's best defensive team at 2.02 goals allowed per game, ended a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Vancouver on Saturday.
Players to watch: Wild D Ryan Suter, coming off his first career hat trick and 16th in Wild history, has 14 points in the past 12 games and five goals in the past four. He was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week on Monday. RW Jason Zucker has goals in consecutive games. RW Jason Pominville, who made his Wild debut last April in Los Angeles, is tied for 14th in the NHL with 18 goals. The Kings' three leading scorers are C's Anze Kopitar (35 points), Jeff Carter (25 goals) and Mike Richards (28 points).
Numbers: The Wild is 3-6 at Los Angeles in nine visits since the start of the 2008-09 season, having been outscored 39-24 in those games. … The Wild ranks fourth in shots allowed (27.1) and the Kings rank sixth (27.5).
Injuries: Wild C Mikko Koivu (ankle), LW Zach Parise (foot), D Jared Spurgeon (foot) and G Josh Harding (illness) are out. RW Justin Fontaine (upper body) practiced Monday and is probable. The Kings have no injuries.
