Well-rested Blues visit the Wild; Jarret Stoll scratched

The Wild, 4-5-3 in the second of back-to-backs this season, completes a stretch of eight games in 13 nights tonight against the St. Louis Blues.

Devan Dubnyk vs. Jake Allen.

Jarret Stoll is scratched for the first time with the Wild.

One reason maybe? The penalty kill.

By giving up two power-play goals on one four-minute penalty Saturday in Buffalo, the Wild fell to 28th in the NHL on the PK (75.8 percent).

That's shocking for a team that had the NHL's best penalty kill a season ago, although it did lose solid killers Kyle Brodziak and Matt Cooke. Heading into Sunday's game against the St. Louis Blues, the Wild had given up eight power-play goals on 13 chances over the previous seven games and 16 power-play goals on 46 chances over the previous 15 games.

Stoll, picked up off waivers in December to help the penalty kill, has been on the ice for 16 power-play goals against, tied with Ryan Carter for most among forwards, but in 37 games. In the past 15 games, Stoll has been on the ice for 10 power-play goals against.

The Blues, off since last playing Tuesday, are 9-2-1 since beating the Wild in St. Louis on Feb. 6. They have won six of their past seven road games and have at least a point in 11 of their past 13 road games.

This is the final regular-season meeting of the season and the Blues' first visit to St. Paul since the Wild beat them, 3-2, in its home opener Oct. 10.

The Wild is 5-3-3 in its past 11 regular-season meetings with the Blues and knocked off St. Louis in last year's Western Conference quarterfinals.

Blues star winger Vladimir Tarasenko ranks sixth in the NHL with 30 goasl. He scored six goals in six games against Minnesota in last year's playoffs. Former Spring Lake Park High and Minnesota State center David Backes has 16 goals and 35 points. Center Robby Fabbri is tied for seventh among rookies with 15 goals. Defenseman Colton Parayko has 20 assists, fifth among NHL rookies. He is plus-20, 10th among all NHLers.