Preview: The Wild has won two of its past five home games and will be playing in St. Paul for the last time until Dec. 9. This is the front end of a back-to-back as the Wild opens a five-game road trip Saturday in St. Louis. In one of its most impressive wins this season, the Wild beat the Penguins 4-2 on Nov. 10 in Pittsburgh when it had a season-high 44 shots. The Penguins are 5-3-2 in their past 10, coming off a 6-1 thumping of the Rangers in New York.
Wild-Pittsburgh game preview
November 25, 2016 at 2:21AM
Players to watch: Penguins LW Jake Guentzel, former Hill-Murray standout and son of Gophers associate coach Mike Guentzel, is expected to play his third NHL game. He scored twice in his NHL debut. C Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 16 points in 12 games against the Wild. C Evgeni Malkin has 11 in nine against Minnesota. RW Phil Kessel is tied for seventh in the NHL with 20 points in 20 games. Wild RW Mikael Granlund has 11 points in the past 14 games. C Eric Staal is a Penguins killer, scoring 22 goals and 51 points in 50 meetings. LW Zach Parise has 15 goals and 37 points in 48 games against Pittsburgh.
Numbers: The Wild leads the West with a plus-13 goal differential and has allowed a league-low 1.89 goals per game; it has scored two goals or fewer in eight of the past 10 games. … The Wild is 2-6 in its past eight meetings with Pittsburgh after going 9-2-1 in its first 12.
Injuries: Wild C Zac Dalpe (knee) is out. Penguins LW Chris Kunitz (lower body) is out, and RW Patric Hornqvist (concussion) is doubtful.
MICHAEL RUSSO
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The Wild head toward a big game against Dallas with one of the NHL’s best records but also with health concerns after Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello exited injured.
