Wild at Penguins
The Minnesota Wild are in a free fall that has landed them in the basement of the Central Division but history is on their side as they prepare to face one of the league's perennial powers. Losers of five consecutive games and 11 of 13 (2-7-4), Minnesota continues a three-game road trip with a visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. The Wild have been a nemesis for the Penguins, winning six of their last seven in Pittsburgh.
History is not on the side of Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who is 0-5-0 with a 3.76 goals-against average versus Minnesota - the only team he has never beaten. Fleury is, however, coming off a strong performance in Saturday's 2-1 overtime victory at Montreal, only the team's third win in nine games (3-4-2). “We looked at this game as being a real measuring-stick game, going on the road against a top team,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Johnston said.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports, ROOT (Pittsburgh)
ABOUT THE WILD (18-18-5): Minnesota has surrendered 20 goals and scored only eight during a five-game skid that has the team's morale plummeting. “It’s not good,” said All-Star defenseman Ryan Suter, who was minus-3 in Sunday's 4-1 setback at Chicago to drop him to minus-18 over his last 19 contests and is mired in a nine-game point drought. “It’s not fun to be a part of. It’s not fun to play. I don’t know what’s going on.” Goaltender Niklas Backstrom has lost six straight decisions (0-4-2) and is winless since Dec. 13.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (25-10-6): Defenseman Olli Maatta's star-crossed season could be coming to an end due to an injury to his surgically repaired shoulder sustained on Dec. 6. The 20-year-old Maatta, who was a member of Team Finland at the 2014 Olympics and had nine goals and 29 points during his rookie campaign in 2013-14, missed more than 2 1/2 weeks earlier in the season to have a cancerous tumor removed from his thyroid. Maatta's shoulder has not responded to rehabilitation and he could be facing another surgical procedure.
OVERTIME
1. Penguins C Evgeni Malkin has three goals and three assists in the past four games.
2. Wild F Nino Niederreiter has not scored a goal in 12 games.
3. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby's power-play tally in OT at Montreal ended a 1-for-22 drought on the man advantage.