Preview: Wild at Stars

WILD (9-7-1) at STARS (7-7-5)
8:30 p.m. ET; FS-SW+, FS-N, NHL.TV

Wild team scope

Goalie Darcy Kuemper will start for the Minnesota Wild. Kuemper last played against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 13 and made 35 saves in a 2-1 overtime win. Before that he had gone three weeks between starts. "It's nice to not have to wait so long, so you are still feeling good from the last game," Kuemper said. "You want to carry that momentum into the start tonight." Rookie Tyler Graovac will move up to a line with Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle. Graovac scored his second goal of the season in a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. "We'd like to see how he does with more ice time in a different situation other than a fourth line," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We'd also like to see him at left wing, big strong left wingers are hard to find. So if he can play the position, then great." The Wild have lost five of their past eight games and scored two goals or less in seven of those.

Stars team scope

Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg is a healthy scratch after he missed the team meeting Monday. Klingberg said he overslept and it won't happen again. He has struggled recently with one point in his past five games. "For me it sums up our year," coach Lindy Ruff said. "Real bad timing … but he's going to get treated no differently than anyone else." Defenseman Julius Honka, the No. 14 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, will make his NHL debut after getting recalled from Texas of the American Hockey League on Sunday. Honka was working on the top power-play unit at morning skate. "I like to skate with the puck and use the offensive side of the game," Honka said. "I think that's what I want to bring here too. That type of puck movement." Honka had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 16 AHL games before his recall. Goalie Antti Niemi is expected to start.

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Wild projected lineup

Zach Parise -- Eric Staal -- Mikael Granlund
Tyler Graovac -- Mikko Koivu -- Charlie Coyle
Nino Niederreiter -- Erik Haula -- Jason Pominville
Jason Zucker -- Zack Mitchell -- Chris Stewart
Ryan Suter -- Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin -- Christian Folin
Mike Reilly -- Matt Dumba
Darcy Kuemper
Devan Dubnyk
Scratched:Christoph Bertschy
Injured:Marco Scandella (ankle), Zac Dalpe (knee), Nate Prosser (undisclosed)

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Stars projected lineup

Jamie Benn -- Cody Eakin -- Tyler Seguin
Patrick Sharp -- Jason Spezza -- Patrick Eaves
Antoine Roussel -- Radek Faksa -- Brett Ritchie
Lauri Korpikoski -- Devin Shore -- Adam Cracknell
Jordie Benn -- Stephen Johns
Dan Hamhuis -- Julius Honka
Esa Lindell -- Jamie Oleksiak
Antti Niemi
Kari Lehtonen
Scratched:John Klingberg, Patrik Nemeth, Curtis McKenzie
Injured:Mattias Janmark (knee), Ales Hemsky (hip), Jiri Hudler (illness), Johnny Oduya (lower body)

Status report

Oduya was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Ruff said the defenseman has been "fighting something for a while now." … Bertschy was recalled from Iowa of the AHL and will play if a forward gets sick.

Who's hot

Eaves has a goal in five straight games, the longest active goal streak in the League. … Jamie Benn has three goals and six points in his past six games. … Granlund has two goals and three assists in his past five games.