Preview: The Wild opens a five-game road trip in the city where it opened the season with a 3-2 loss on Oct. 13. This is the Wild's second back-to-back this season. It's 1-1 in the back end of back-to-backs, winning in overtime in Ottawa earlier this month. The Blues have been off since Wednesday, when their four-game win streak was halted by Washington.
Players to watch: C Mikko Koivu leads the Wild with 28 points in 42 games against the Blues. D Ryan Suter has 29 points in 59 meetings, while LW Zach Parise has 10 goals and four assists in 21 games against them. RW Chris Stewart has nine goals and 16 points in 17 games vs. his old team. Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored six goals in six playoff games against the Wild in 2015, has nine goals and was tied for fourth in the NHL with 22 points before Friday's NHL slate. C Paul Stastny leads the Blues with 36 points in 55 games against the Wild. LW David Perron has 16 points in 23 games vs. Minnesota.
Numbers: The Wild is 27-22-13 all-time vs. St. Louis. … The Blues rank third in the NHL on the penalty kill (88.1 percent) and give up the fifth-fewest shots per game (27.4).
Injuries: Wild C Zac Dalpe (knee) and D Christian Folin (lower body) are out. Blues LW Alex Steen (undisclosed) and D Joel Edmundson (upper body) practiced Friday.
Michael Russo
