With a 5 p.m. start against Colorado today at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild did not hold a morning skate. Instead, they made coach Bruce Boudreau available for a short pregame media session. Really short.
A sour Boudreau growled his way through a handful of questions in a news conference so brief we'll just post the whole thing here. Jason Zucker will not play today. Devan Dubnyk returns to the net after a two-game break.
Q: What was the worst part of Saturday's loss (3-0 in Nashville)? A: That we lost. There's a lot to be disappointed in.
Q: The team showed little drive against an opponent it might face in the playoffs. How disappointing was that? A: You're going to have to talk to them about it, not me. Because I can't get inside their drive.
Q: What's the message to players today? A: We've got to go out there and win a game. That's what we've got to do. If we're not ready to play, then we're in trouble.
Q: What will you be looking for from Dubnyk to know he's at top form? A: Just the way he tracks the puck, his movements in the net or his non-movements in the net, and to see the confidence he has when he handles the puck. Those are things you can tell, that are tells of him.
Q: Zucker out? A: Yes.
Q: Can you assess Haula's play recently? A: No. Don't ask about him. I don't want to talk about players or anything right now. You want to talk about how they played after the game, let's talk about it there, or on an off day. But right now, before the game, I don't want to talk about players.
