7 p.m. vs. Florida • Xcel Energy Center • FSN, 100.3-FM

Panthers make lone trip to St. Paul

Preview: This is the first of two meetings this season between the Wild and Panthers. The Wild went 1-1 against the Panthers last season. Florida is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at 11-12-6. The Panthers have dropped three in a row.

Players to watch: Winger Jonathan Huberdeau has 36 points in 29 games. Winger Mike Hoffman has a team-high 15 goals. Center Aleksander Barkov averages 23 minutes, 9 seconds of ice time.

Numbers: The Wild’s power play ranks eighth in the NHL at 25.3 percent. When scoring first, the Wild is 6-3-1. Huberdeau has 19 points in the past nine games. Florida is 5-7-2 as the visitor.

Injuries: Wild F Mikko Koivu (lower body) is day-to-day. Panthers Fs Derek MacKenzie (upper body), Vincent Trocheck (lower body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) are out.

Sarah McLellan