Wild's Backstrom will start Sunday vs. Kings

After watching Darcy Kuemper get off to a wildly successful start to the season, veteran goaltender Niklas Backstrom will get the call in net when Minnesota visits the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.

"Backstrom probably deserved to start earlier," coach Mike Yeo said, according to Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press. "But based on what Kuemper was doing, we just couldn't get him in."

Kuemper posted a save percentage of .972 in three starts, including two shutout victories over the Colorado Avalanche. Yeo's plan all along, however, was to give both goalies some action early in the season.

"Backstrom has deserved this opportunity from the way he played in training camp," Yeo said. "We want to be a successful team here and everybody is part of that and he's part of it so we'll give him a chance to see how he goes."

Backstrom hasn't played since Jan. 30, missing a significant part of last season due to hip and abdomen injuries. In 21 appearances in 2013-14, he went 5-11-2 with a .899 save percentage, down from his career average of .916.