Pittsburgh is 6-2-1 in its past nine games, and 6-2-0 in its past eight at home. The Penguins will play the second game of a back-to-back after defeating the Washington Capitals 2-1 at Capital One Arena on Wednesday. Goalie Casey DeSmith will likely start for the ninth time in 11 games after Matt Murray made 31 saves against Washington. The Wild have lost their past two games and are 3-7-0 in their past 10 games. They have allowed two goals or fewer in three of their past four games but have scored one goal or fewer in three of those four.
Players to watch
Wild forward Zach Parise has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past five games. Penguins forward Bryan Rust has one goal in each of his past three games, and at least one in four of his past five. He has six goals in five games after scoring one in his first 29 this season.
They said it
"I just know [the Penguins] have championship blood in their veins. Fatigue is not going to be anything. ... They're going to play the best game they can." -- Wild coach Bruce Boudreau "[Rust] just stayed with it. ... As I said before, [Rust] brings a lot to the table above and beyond just numbers, goals and assists. He's a good player. He helps us in a lot of ways." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
Dumba will miss his second straight game. He is expected to be out for at least a week. ... Oleksiak was injured in the first period Wednesday. Simon was activated from injured reserve Thursday after missing eight games with a lower-body injury.
Stat pack
Pateryn will play his 200th NHL game. ... The Penguins have killed 38 of 43 penalties (88.4 percent) during their past 17 games.
