Islanders at Wild
THE STORY: When the Minnesota Wild get hot, the wins usually come in bunches. The Wild have already pieced together three winning streaks of five games or more this season. Minnesota will try to get another streak started without the services of captain and leading-scorer Mikko Koivu when the NHL-leading Wild host the reeling New York Islanders at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday night. The game is the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Wild had won a season-high seven straight games before taking a pair of losses in their last two outings. The Islanders, meanwhile, will be attempting to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG+, FSNO
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (9-14-6): The Islanders find themselves in the cellar of the Atlantic Division, with much of the blame falling on their anemic offense. The Islanders are averaging a mere 2.31 goals per game, third-worst in the NHL. C John Tavares has been doing his part, notching nine goals and 10 points in his past nine contests. He is scoreless in three career games against the Wild. New York, which opens a three-game road trip, skated to a 2-1 win over Minnesota in the first meeting on Oct. 10.
ABOUT THE WILD (20-8-4): Koivu had turned it on of late, notching four goals and eight points in the previous six games. The 28-year-old Finn will be forced to watch from the bench in this one after suffering a leg injury in Wednesday’s shootout loss to Chicago. "You see him go off the ice and you hold your breath a little bit, but then we got good news," coach Mike Yeo said. "It is not a real serious injury, and he shouldn't be out for an extended period of time."
OVERTIME:
1. The Wild will be thin upfront with Fs Devin Setoguchi and Guillaume Latendresse on IR, while Pierre-Marc Bouchard is listed as questionable because of a facial injury.
2. Niklas Backstrom is expected to start in net for the Wild. He has a 3.79 goals-against average while dropping his last two outings to the Islanders.