6 p.m. at Tampa Bay • FSN, 107.9-FMPreview: This is the final stop on a four-game road trip for the Wild before it pauses for the three-day holiday break. The team is 2-2 in the second game of a back-to-back so far this season. As for the Lightning, it sits atop the NHL leaderboard with 25 wins and a franchise-record 52 points through 34 games. Tampa Bay has won eight of its past nine, most recently edging Ottawa 4-3 in a shootout Thursday.
Players to watch: Defenseman Victor Hedman is in the midst of a season-long five-game point streak, with two goals and six assists in that span. Winger Nikita Kucherov became the first player in the NHL to reach 50 points. Captain Steven Stamkos has 13 goals and 45 points.
Numbers: The Lightning has won four in a row over the Wild at home. Tampa Bay has limited the Wild to five goals over those four games. Kucherov has at least a point in 28 of 34 games. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has given up one goal in each of his past two starts against the Wild.
Injuries: Wild F Zach Parise (back surgery) and G Devan Dubnyk (knee) are out. Lightning F Ryan Callahan (upper body) is also out.
