Niklas Backstrom, who played through a stomach illness in Tuesday's loss to the Blackhawks, is expected to start Wednesday against the Bruins, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Backstrom, who played through a stomach illness in Tuesday's loss to the Blackhawks, is expected to start Wednesday against the Bruins, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Analysis:

Darcy Kuemper was initially slated to start Tuesday's game, but came down with a stomach bug in the afternoon that limited him to backup duties for the evening. As a result, Backstrom was thrust into action, only to battle a stomach issue of his own from the first period onward. Backstrom at least seems to be recovering from the illness better than Kuemper, so he'll get the call Wednesday unless his condition takes a turn for the worse. However, given the less-than-optimal health of both of their netminders, expect the Wild to recall either John Curry or Johan Gustafsson from AHL Iowa as an insurance option.