The Wild came into this contest winning 13 out of their last 14 games, only losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets during that impressive span.
The Kings scratched Kevin Gravel and replaced him with Matt Greene for this contest. It was Greene’s first game since December 28. Andy Andreoff and Tom Gilbert joined Gravel as scratches. The Wild scratched Jordan Schroeder and Nate Prosser.
The Kings got the benefit of going against a backup goaltender for the second straight game. Darcy Kuemper got the start in net over Devan Dubnyk for the Wild.
Considering that Dubnyk leads the league in save percentage and GAA, it was a welcome revelation for the Kings as they sought to recover from their lopsided loss to the Red Wings.