Gameday preview: Wild vs. Dallas Stars
March 14, 2019 at 2:59AM
Dallas coming in hot to Xcel
Preview: Following Monday's 3-0 loss to San Jose, the Wild lost its grip on a playoff spot, sitting one point behind Arizona and three behind Dallas in the wild-card standings.
Players to watch: G Ben Bishop has not allowed a goal in his past 204 minutes, 20 seconds of play, dating to a March 2 victory over St. Louis. He leads the NHL in save percentage (.932) and is second in goals-against average (2.08). Wild F Jason Zucker has six goals and two assists in his past nine games.
Numbers: The Wild is 1-5-3 in its past nine home games and has not won in regulation at Xcel since Jan. 19. The Stars have given up a conference-low 172 goals.
Injuries: Wild F Mikko Koivu (knee surgery), F Joel Eriksson Ek (lower-body injury) and D Matt Dumba (torn pectoral muscle) are out. Dallas F Mats Zuccarello (broken arm), F Tyler Pitlick (upper-body injury), F Martin Hanzal (back), D Marc Methot (knee surgery) and D Stephen Johns (post-traumatic headaches) are out.
Rachel Blount
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Gritty center Ryan Hartman is adept at drawing penalties and putting his team on the power play.
