Xcel Energy Center

at Minnesota, 5 PDT Site -- Xcel Energy Center. Radio -- 1150. Records -- Kings 28-38-6, Wild 37-26-8. Record vs. Wild -- 1-1-1. Update -- Kings goalie Erik Ersberg stopped 37 shots Thursday night at Nashville. The Wild has lost three straight games in a shootout and is winless in five in a row. Wild forward Eric Belanger is possibly out for the season because of a broken toe, and his replacement, Steve Kelly, left Thursday's game because of an ankle injury. -- Dan Arritt

When: 4:30 PST. Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn. On the air: TV: NBCSN; Radio: 830. Records: Ducks 22-24-9, Wild 25-22-8. Record vs. Wild: 1-2. Update: The Ducks made a trade with Winnipeg, but it was not the deal Jets fans have been dreaming about. (Sorry, Teemu Selanne stays in Anaheim.) Instead, it was a swap of minor league centers: The Ducks sent Maxime Macenauer to Winnipeg for Riley Holzapfel on Monday. Holzapfel will go straight to the Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y. Then there was the daily Ducks move with Syracuse, as the team brought back defenseman Nate Guenin.

Ducks tonight AT MINNESOTA When: 5 PST. Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn. On the air: Radio: 830. Records: Ducks 10-13-4, Wild 11-12-3. Record vs. Wild: 1-0-1. Update: The broken left hand Teemu Selanne sustained in Thursday's loss to Dallas leaves the Ducks without the future Hall of Famer, tied with Corey Perry for the team goal-scoring lead at 14. Selanne will return to Orange County today to be examined by team doctors.

Ducks tonight AT MINNESOTA When: 5 p.m. PST. Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Records: Ducks 32-22-4, Wild 30-22-5. Record vs. Wild: 1-0-1. Update: The Ducks have won 14 of their last 19 games but have not been able to distance themselves from the pack in a tight Western Conference race. The Ducks acquired forward Jarkko Ruutu from Ottawa for a sixth-round pick Thursday. Ducks forward Teemu Selanne has a five-game scoring streak, with three goals and six assists in that span.

Ducks tonight AT MINNESOTA When: 5 p.m. PST. Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Records: Ducks 32-22-4, Wild 30-22-5. Record vs. Wild: 1-0-1. Update: The Ducks have won 14 of their last 19 games but have not been able to distance themselves from the pack in a tight Western Conference race. The Ducks acquired forward Jarkko Ruutu from Ottawa for a sixth-round pick Thursday. Ducks forward Teemu Selanne has a five-game scoring streak, with three goals and six assists in that span.

This is where the Kings could have fallen into the abyss of their history, a saga carved out by years of futility and deepened by four straight losses and five in six games before they faced the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. With every reason to surrender, including a long, late trip after a draining loss at Calgary, the Kings instead found motivation for an impressive performance that brought them to the halfway point of the season with a 23-15-3 record and in playoff position in the tight Western Conference.

Their special teams struggle mightily against the Wild, and the team has given up eight power-play goals in its four straight losses. The Kings have insisted they don't want to back into the playoffs. A few more results like their 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday and they could be backing out of the playoffs. It would take a lot for the Kings to drop out of the top eight in the West. After 75 games, they are seventh with 90 points, a point ahead of Colorado. Ninth-place Calgary has 85 points and has played 76 games.

Their special teams struggle mightily against the Wild, and the team has given up eight power-play goals in its four straight losses. The Kings have insisted they don't want to back into the playoffs. A few more results like their 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday and they could be backing out of the playoffs. It would take a lot for the Kings to drop out of the top eight in the West. After 75 games, they are seventh with 90 points, a point ahead of Colorado. Ninth-place Calgary has 85 points and has played 76 games.

This is where the Kings could have fallen into the abyss of their history, a saga carved out by years of futility and deepened by four straight losses and five in six games before they faced the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. With every reason to surrender, including a long, late trip after a draining loss at Calgary, the Kings instead found motivation for an impressive performance that brought them to the halfway point of the season with a 23-15-3 record and in playoff position in the tight Western Conference.

AT MINNESOTA Time: 5 PST. On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 1150. Where: Xcel Energy Center. Records: Kings 17-20-7, Wild 23-19-3. Record vs. Wild: 1-0. Update: Goaltender Jonathan Bernier, recalled from Manchester of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis after Erik Ersberg suffered a lower-body injury, practiced with the team Monday. A Kings spokesman said everyone skated but Ersberg, who has not been put on injured reserve. The Kings have lost four games in a row and five of their last six to slip behind the playoff pack.