This is, the way coach Michel Therrien sees it, a pretty good time for the Penguins to go on the road for a while.

Playing four away games in a row will give his players an opportunity to spend some time together, he figures, and perhaps prod them to get the fundamentals of their game in order.

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Scouting Report

• Matchup: Penguins at Minnesota Wild, 7:08 p.m. today, Xcel Energy Center.
• TV, radio: Versus, WXDX-FM (105.9).
• Probable goaltenders: Dany Sabourin for Penguins. Josh Harding for Wild.
• Penguins: Have never won at Xcel Energy Center, going 0-2-1. ... Evgeni Malkin has at least one point in eight of first 10 games. ... Are 0-2 when D Sergei Gonchar scores a goal.
• Wild: Is one of just three NHL teams with perfect home record, going 4-0 at Xcel Energy Center. ... Has 6-1-1 record when getting first goal. ... Is outscoring opponents, 9-5, in third period despite being outshot, 94-86, then.
• Hidden stat: Wild never trailed by more than one goal this season until final minute of 3-1 loss at Colorado Sunday.

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Valid points, but there's another factor Therrien didn't mention: While there might never be a good time for teams to visit St. Paul, Minn., given the quality of the team based there, the Minnesota Wild might be as vulnerable now as it is ever going to get.

That's not to suggest the Penguins should expect the Wild to concede a couple of points when the teams meet at the Xcel Energy Center at 7:08 tonight. Most clubs that drop by there leave with nothing except soiled uniforms and perhaps a few regrets.

But even though Minnesota was the last team in the NHL to absorb a loss in regulation this season, the Wild has stumbled in recent days. It is coming off an 0-2-1 road trip and has been left with a somewhat diluted lineup because of a series of groin injuries.

No. 1 goalie Niklas Backstrom has been declared out of tonight's game and coach Jacques Lemaire told reporters yesterday that forwards Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra won't play, either, although general manager Doug Risebrough characterized them as questionable.

Having those three spend the evening in the training room, not on the ice, would do a lot to enhance the chances of the Penguins of winning in St. Paul for the first time in four visits since Minnesota returned to the NHL in 2000, although being without key players doesn't necessarily doom a team.

"You can never look at that," Penguins left winger Gary Roberts said. "A lot of teams win with their top players out because everybody else bears down and keeps it a simple game."

It is worth noting that while Gaborik is the Wild's most gifted player and a proven game-breaker, he has not scored in his past six games. What's more, although Backstrom has been superb, any Wild goalie benefits from the tenacious team defense that is the cornerstone of Jacques Lemaire's coaching philosophy.

"They try to play a solid defensive game, keep a lot of people around the front of the net," said Penguins right winger Adam Hall, who finished last season with the Wild.

"They try to not give up too much. They're a pretty stingy team that way and they have great goaltending, so that makes it pretty tough to score."

Penguins defenseman Mark Eaton likens the Wild's approach to that formerly found in New Jersey where, not coincidentally, Lemaire worked before going to Minnesota.

While Lemaire's clubs with the Devils frequently were criticized for squeezing the excitement and creativity out of games with a numbingly effective neutral-zone trap, Therrien said the Wild's trap is designed to trigger an aggressive counterattack.

"We try to play almost the same way," he said.

That Minnesota would be interested in generating scoring chances make sense, because the productivity of its forwards is considerably higher than their profile in much of North America.

"You go down the lineup, and they've got a lot of guys who can hurt you if you're not playing your system the right way," Hall said.

Although Gaborik is Minnesota's best-known goal-scorer, Brian Rolston is a speedy winger with a lethal touch. Mikko Koivu has talent and grit rivaling his brother, Saku of Montreal, and undersized center Pierre-Marc Bouchard's impact far exceeds his stature. He'll take a three-game assist streak into tonight's game.

"People might underestimate him because of his size," Hall said. "But he's pretty nifty with the puck and ends up making a lot of plays that people wouldn't [expect] from someone his size."

Of course, Minnesota's personnel won't be the Penguins' biggest concern tonight, anyway. Not when they've managed just 15 even-strength goals in 10 games, have gotten inconsistent goaltending and have struggled to string together three strong periods.

"We're going to have to be a lot better than we've been over a 60-minute period to win any games on the road," Roberts said.

"We've played good for stretches -- 20 minutes here, 20 there -- but we haven't played a solid 60-minute game yet, and we're going to have to do that on this trip to get some wins."