Russo here in Calgary. With no extra forwards, the Wild's recalled forward Warren Peters for the road trip as insurance. I'll be on KFAN from 9-9:30 this morning. Talk to you after the skates.

Greetings.

I was at practice today while Mike Russo sat festering at MSP international waiting for a delayed flight.

Probably the biggest news was that Mike Lundin, the Minnesota-born defenseman, finally practiced with the Wild today. it was the first time he was on the ice with his teammates since very early in training camp, when back spasms knocked him out of action.

I'll write about this more for tomorrow's paper, but Lundin, who has worked very hard to come back for weeks now, was thrilled to finally be skating with someone other than himself. Still, he is a good ways away from thinking about playing. Coach Mike Yeo has decided to take Lundin with the team on its upcoming five-game road trip so he can keep practicing.

Ditto for Clayton Stoner (finger), who was available to play in the last game. He, too, will accompany the team. But, with the young defensemen playing so well, Yeo said it will be tough to change his current lineup unless that level of play drops. The good news is that Yeo has a lot of depth at the position.

Meanwhile, Yeo reiterated that Niklas Backstrom will start in net in Calgary tomorrow night.

The Wild currently has just 12 healthy forwards on the roster. When asked if the team might call up an extra forward for the five-game trip, Yeo said that would be discussed. But it shouldn't be hard to get a forward up from Houston should the need arise.

That's about it from practice. Russo will pick up the team tomorrow. Have a good afternoon.