Wild vs. Blues preview: Battle for second place in Central Division

2 p.m. at St. Louis Blues • Enterprise Center • ABC, ESPN+, 100.3-FM

Wild update: The Wild has dropped four in a row to the Blues, eight of the last nine and 12 of the past 15 matchups dating back to Feb. 17, 2019. At Enterprise Center, the Wild is on a six-game losing streak. Over the last four games, LW Kevin Fiala has five goals and he's scored in each of the previous two contests vs. St. Louis this season. LW Kirill Kaprizov's 42 goals are tied for the single season franchise record, while RW Mats Zuccarello is at 50 assists and also one shy of a new Wild record. D Jon Merrill, who's been out since suffering an upper-body injury on March 31, is doubtful to play.

Blues update: St. Louis is on its best run of the season, winning seven in a row and nine of its last 10 games going back to March 28. The Blues, who are third in the Central Division but tied with the No. 2 Wild in points at 98, are also on a 5-0 tear at home. C Robert Thomas had five assists on Thursday in a 6-2 victory at Buffalo to extend his career-high point streak to 11 games. Thomas scored the game-winner in St. Louis' 4-3 overtime rally against the Wild last Friday. His linemate, RW Vladimir Tarasenko, recorded his fifth NHL hat trick on Thursday to surpass the 30-goal plateau for the sixth time in his career.