Darcy Keumper, who was serving as the backup and starred in a relief role this week, is battling a groin injury that landed him on the injured reserve.  Josh Harding, who is typically the second netminder to Backstrom, continues to be out of action due to doctors recommendations surrounding his multiple sclerosis treatment.

During his stint in the AHL with the Aeros this season, Hackett has appeared in 42 games, going 19-19-3 with a 2.56 GAA and a .910 save percentage.

Wild fans best remember Hackett for his debut in the NHL last season when he set a record for the longest shutout streak to start a career at 102:48, courtesy of Russo.

In other Wild news, forward Cal Clutterback has been activated from the IR and is set to return to the lineup tomorrow night in Nashville.

Clutterbuck was the victim of a careless hit by the Oilers’ Taylor Hall, who received a two-game suspension for the play. The 25-year old Clutterbuck has 2 goals and 2 assists in 16 games for the Wild this season but he is best known for his physical style of play.  It’s not uncommon to see Clutterbuck’s name at the top of the hits category in any given year.

The visiting Hawks are undefeated heading into tonight’s action, boasting a perfect 6-0 mark, their best start in franchise history. Leading the Hawks to start the season have been the usual suspects of Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews, all with at least a point per game average.

On the blue line, Chicago has seen a resurgence from Duncan Keith who many are saying he’s back to his Norris Trophy candidate level of play.  Nick Leddy has also been a pleasant surprise for the Blackhawks this seaon, posting a goal and four assists through the first half a dozen games.

In goal, the Hawks have Corey Crawford who has been nothing short of brilliant.  He’s 5-0 with an impressive 1.78 GAA and .933 save percentage.

For the Wild, Josh Harding will get the nod in goal after watching Niklas Backstrom pick up the win over the Blue Jackets.  It’s the second time this season the Wild have played back-to-back games, the other was to start the season where the Wild won both games.

Interestingly enough, Harding is 6-3 all-time against the Blackhawks with a 2.32 GAA and a .930 save percentage.  So one could make the argument that head coach Mike Yeo is playing the odds versus resting Backstrom in consecutive games.

According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, there will be no other lineup changes for the Wild meaning Matt Kassian, Nate Prosser and Jared Spurgeon will remain out.  Both Kassian and Prosser are healthy scratches while Spurgeon remains sidelined with a bruised foot.

Russo also points out that Minnesota is need of secondary scoring as eleven of the Wild’s sixteen goals have come from Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley.

Game time is set for 7pm.