7 p.m. vs. Anaheim • Xcel • FSN, 100.3-FM
Ducks come to town stuck in a slump similar to Wild's
Preview: The Wild hoped a four-game homestand could get it back on the winning track, but it is 0-2-1 in the first three games and has one victory in its past nine. Anaheim can relate; the Ducks are 2-8 in their past 10 and have 18 road losses this season, most in the Western Conference. The teams split earlier this season, with the Wild winning 5-1 at Anaheim in November and losing 3-0 at home in January.
Players to watch: Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk is 7-8-2 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in his career against the Ducks. Forward Jakob Silfverberg leads Anaheim with 15 goals this season, after scoring twice in Sunday's victory over Washington.
Numbers: Anaheim's goal differential this season is minus-54, worst in the NHL, and it has scored a league-low 133 goals. The Wild has given up 14 power-play goals in the past 12 games, dropping its season success rate to 81.1 percent.
Injuries: Wild D Matt Dumba (torn pectoral muscle) and forwards Mikko Koivu (knee surgery), Victor Rask (lower-body injury) and Matt Hendricks (upper-body injury) are out. Ducks forwards Patrick Eaves (illness) and Ondrej Kase (torn labrum) and goalies John Gibson (upper-body injury) and Chad Johnson (head injury) are out.
RACHEL BLOUNT
