7 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay • NBCSN, 100.3-FM
Lightning is hot, Wild not
Preview: One of the hottest teams in the NHL, Tampa Bay (28-14-4) has won 11 of its past 12 games, including a 10-game winning streak that ended Sunday. The Lightning has lost to only five teams in the past seven weeks, including a 5-4 home defeat to the Wild on Dec. 5. The Wild (20-20-6) is trending in the opposite direction, winless in its past four games.
Players to watch: F Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 50 points, and he and F Steven Stamkos are tied for the team lead with 18 goals each. Wild F Eric Staal tops the roster with 33 points, but he has been blanked in four consecutive games and has only one point in his past seven.
Numbers: Before giving up a power-play goal in the third period of Tuesday's 4-3 shootout victory over Los Angeles, the Lightning had killed 20 consecutive power-play chances over five games. … The Wild has allowed 3.37 goals per game, 29th in the NHL.
Injuries: Lightning D Ryan McDonagh of St. Paul (upper-body injury) and F Pat Maroon (upper-body injury) are day-to-day.
RACHEL BLOUNT
