7 p.m. at St. Louis • Scottrade Center • FSN, 100.3-FM
Piling up points is an early plus
Preview: The Wild has banked at least a point in seven of its past eight, going 6-1-1 in that span. It started a stretch of three straight games against the Central Division by edging the Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout Friday. The Blues entered their Friday game not only atop the Central Division but also pacing the entire Western Conference. Look for goalie Jake Allen to start against the Wild after backup Carter Hutton earned the start Friday against the Predators.
Players to watch: Center Brayden Schenn has shined in his first season with the Blues after an offseason trade from the Flyers, racking up 10 goals and 30 points entering action Friday. Winger Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 11th and 12th goals Tuesday against the Oilers. On the back end, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo sets the tone and had totaled 20 points before facing the Predators.
Numbers: Winger Nino Niederreiter's six-game goal streak is tied for the longest goal streak in Wild history. … The Wild's power play has gone 8-for-18 over the past five games. … The Blues won three of the five meetings between the teams last season. … St. Louis goalie Jake Allen is 6-3 with a 2.09 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.
Injuries: Wild F Zach Parise (back surgery) is out. Avalanche Fs Zach Sanford (shoulder), Robby Fabbri (knee) and Patrik Berglund (shoulder) are also out.
SARAH MCLELLAN
