ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Goaltender Devan Dubnyk will make his first start in three games for the Minnesota Wild when they face the Arizona Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center on Monday (8:30 p.m. ET; FS-A, FS-WI, FS-N+).

Dubnyk backed up Darcy Kuemper in each of the past two games after losing four straight decisions. Dubnyk gave up eight goals in the span and had a .919 save percentage.

The Wild have lost four straight games on home ice and won't play here again until Feb. 9. Minnesota has lost six of its past seven games overall.

"There's a lot [of value to this game]," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "The way things have gone lately, we can try and point to some positives with a good result tonight. Or certainly, it could steer back towards the negatives."

Coyotes goalie Louis Domingue will make his fourth straight start.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is likely to play against the Minnesota Wild on Friday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-N), coach Paul Maurice said.

Byfuglien was injured during the third period of a game against the Nashville Predators on Thursday and did not return. Maurice said afterward that Byfuglien would make the trip.

"By the time we got off the plane, he was feeling real strong," Maurice said. "It was good news, but we were pretty confident he'd be able to play tonight."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild play their 43rd game of the regular season against the Buffalo Sabres at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; MSG-B, BELL TV, FS-N+). In an odd scheduling quirk, it's the third time in the past three seasons the Wild have played the Sabres in game No. 43.

Minnesota (22-12-8) has used wins against Buffalo (16-22-4) in each of the past two seasons to get back on track.

Two years ago, the Wild were 20-17-5 but had lost six-straight games coming into No. 43. A 4-1 win against the Sabres sparked a four-game winning streak and Minnesota finished 23-10-7 the rest of the way to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Last year, the Wild were 18-19-5 after 42 games and were buried in seventh place in the Central Division and 13th in the Western Conference. An 0-5-1 stretch coming into the game convinced general manager Chuck Fletcher to deal a third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft to the Arizona Coyotes for goaltender Devan Dubnyk.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Forward Mikko Koivu will be in the lineup when the Minnesota Wild face the Philadelphia Flyers at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

Koivu left the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury after crashing awkwardly into the boards. He was brought to the hospital for additional testing but was released in time to fly home with the Wild after the game.

The Wild did not practice Wednesday and didn't know whether they would have their captain available against the Flyers until he skated Thursday morning.

"You never know until you get on the ice and see how you feel," Koivu said. "I probably got lucky in a way that nothing more happened. It could have been a lot worse."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin could return to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Monday.

Larkin, who missed the Red Wings' 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday with an upper-body injury, was originally believed to have a better chance of returning when the Red Wings play the second of back-to-back games against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

"He looked like he was ready but until I know for sure and he comes back tonight and he feels the same as he did today, we're going to wait and see," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins will get center Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang back from injury Saturday against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center (8 p.m. ET; ROOT, FS-N, FS-WI).

Crosby, who missed the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday with a lower-body injury said he felt good following the Penguins morning skate.

"To get basically a week here is good and I'm happy with the way I felt," Crosby said.

Crosby said he skated once during the Christmas break in a men's league at home in Nova Scotia, but wasn't sure until Saturday that he could get back in the lineup.

"Not until you get out there and see how it feels," Crosby said. "It's just a matter of trusting you can go out there and take hits. It's a little different than a morning skate but at the same time, you have to be confident about it. It felt pretty good today and that's a good thing."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Darcy Kuemper will start in goal for the Minnesota Wild against the Montreal Canadiens at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, RDS, SNE).

It's an opportunity earned through quality play during a recent stretch of games when Devan Dubnyk missed time with a groin injury.

"At the start of the year and last year, we probably would have looked at this as an opportunity where [Dubnyk] could have played this game, given the fact we have a nice break after this," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "But the way [Kuemper] has been playing has provided us with this opportunity to give [Dubnyk] some rest."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild will each play the first of back-to-back games before the NHL's holiday break at Xcel Energy Center on Monday (8 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, FS-N, FS-WI, FS-SW).

It's the third time this season the Stars (24-7-2) and Wild (17-8-6) have played; each of the first two games have gone to overtime. Dallas won 3-2 on Nov. 14 and 4-3 on Nov. 28.

"Two pretty evenly matched teams that play pretty well," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "They've got a great home record here and our road record has been decent. But I think speed wise, we match up pretty good."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jarret Stoll will make his debut with the Minnesota Wild against a familiar foe at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday when the Wild host the New York Rangers (8 p.m. ET; MSG, FS-N, FS-WI).

Stoll, placed on waivers by the Rangers on Monday and claimed the next day by the Wild, will skate on the fourth line with Chris Porter and Ryan Carter.

"It was a little bit of a shock, but I understand that we weren't playing that good so maybe a shakeup was needed," Stoll said. "I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself to play, play your style, play your role, and that's what I'm going to do."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild claimed forward Jarret Stoll off waivers from the New York Rangers on Tuesday ahead of their game against the Vancouver Canucks at Xcel Energy Center.

Stoll, who will wear jersey No. 19, is not expected to arrive in the Twin Cities until Wednesday, but could make his debut with Minnesota against the Rangers on Thursday. He had one goal and two assists in 29 games with New York.

"It’s the right time to add a player," Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "Losing some of the guys we lost last summer, in [Chris] Stewart and [Kyle] Brodziak, we lost some veteran leadership and depth. Jarret is a guy we spoke with this summer and he ultimately signed with the Rangers. So when we got a second chance at him, we just grabbed him."