Pittsburgh Penguins (23-17-7, fifth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Minnesota Wild (22-23-5, seventh in the Central Division)
Saint Paul, Minnesota; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins will aim to break a three-game road slide when they visit the Minnesota Wild.
Minnesota has a 22-23-5 record overall and a 12-11-3 record on its home ice. The Wild have given up 165 goals while scoring 148 for a -17 scoring differential.
Pittsburgh is 23-17-7 overall and 10-9-4 in road games. The Penguins have a 21-3-3 record when scoring at least three goals.
The teams meet Friday for the second time this season. The Penguins won the last meeting 4-3.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kirill Kaprizov has 19 goals and 26 assists for the Wild. Joel Eriksson Ek has scored seven goals and added five assists over the past 10 games.
Jake Guentzel has 22 goals and 28 assists for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby has five goals and five assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Wild: 5-4-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.9 assists, 4.6 penalties and 12.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
Penguins: 4-3-3, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.5 assists, 2.8 penalties and 5.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.
INJURIES: Wild: Jared Spurgeon: out for season (hip/back), Sam Hentges: out (undisclosed), Pat Maroon: out (upper body), Connor Dewar: out (lower body), Jonas Brodin: day to day (illness).
Penguins: Noel Acciari: day to day (undisclosed), Matt Nieto: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
