John Marino’s arrival has helped steady the backend without Sergachev. The defenseman — who was traded to Utah this summer from the New Jersey Devils — made his team debut on Jan. 14 and has played in four games. The 27-year-old missed training camp and the first half of the year after undergoing lower-back surgery in October.

Dylan Guenther, who scored both of Utah’s goals on Dec. 20, is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Mikhail Sergachev, who had three assists in those two games, is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It’s unclear whether he’ll be ready to play Thursday.

BOTTOM LINE: Central Division opponents meet when the Minnesota Wild play the Utah Hockey Club. Minnesota has gone 28-15-4 overall with a 10-6-2 record in Central Division play. The Wild are 26-2-2 when scoring three or more goals.