WILD (39-24-7) at GOLDEN KNIGHTS (45-20-5) 10:30 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, FS-N, NHL.TV
Vegas, in the second of a four-game homestand, has not won at home since Feb. 23. The Golden Knights lead the Pacific Division by 10 points over the San Jose Sharks, and trail the Nashville Predators by seven points for first in the Western Conference. The Wild have lost two in a row after a three-game winning streak. Minnesota leads the Colorado Avalanche by one point, and the Dallas Stars by two points for third place in the Central Division.
Players to watch
Wild forward Jason Zucker has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in the past 10 games. Golden Knights forward Erik Haula has four goals in the past five games, three of them on the power play. He leads Vegas with 11 power-play goals.
They said it
"We approach (Friday) like there's 12 games left. We're fighting for our lives for a playoff spot. That's the only way you can approach it." -- Wild coach Bruce Boudreau "You want to play. You're never happy when you're out with an injury, especially on a road trip when you're home skating by yourself." -- Golden Knights forward James Neal
Neal (hand) will return to the lineup for the Golden Knights after missing eight games. ... Subban (upper body) is in the lineup for the first time since Feb. 8 … Vegas reassigned forward Tomas Hyka and goaltender Maxime Lagace to Chicago of the American Hockey League.
Stat pack
Minnesota outscored Vegas 9-4 in the first two meetings (both wins). … Dubnyk is one win from 200 in his NHL career. … Staal has 16 points (11 goals, five assists) in the past 12 games and is three goals from his first 40-goal season since 2008-09. … Granlund has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in the past 11 games … Fleury (400 wins) is one win from tying Chris Osgood for 12th on the NHL's all-time list. … Karlsson has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in the past 11 games.
