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Wild's Bouchard struggling to escape drought

Scoring opportunities -- and goals -- have been scarce for a player counted on to be one of the Wild's top offensive cogs.

By BRIAN STENSAAS, Star Tribune

Last update: November 22, 2008 - 12:38 AM

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WILD VS. ST. LOUIS

7 p.m. today • Xcel Energy Center

TV: Ch. 45 (106.1-FM, 107.5-FM)

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For a team that came into this season knowing it would be forced to dig deep for some offense, the Wild has barely scratched the surface. If things are going to turn around productionwise, it likely has to start with Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

After scoring 179 points in the past three seasons, Bouchard has limped to a grand total of five through 14 games. He has only 19 shots on goal, 374th in the NHL entering Friday.

"He could play better, no doubt," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said.

In response to the team's lack of offense -- only 41 goals in regulation -- Lemaire plans to shake up the top three lines for tonight's home game against St. Louis.

After playing together most of the year, the line of Bouchard, Eric Belanger and Owen Nolan will be split up.

"They don't complement as well as I thought they would," Lemaire said. "I'm looking for a complement of the three. One vs. the other one and the other one; this guy and this guy. I'm searching ... I'm searching."

Basically, the Wild is on the lookout for scoring from anyone not named Mikko Koivu.

Koivu, who leads the team with 18 points, is the only Wild forward to be credited with a goal in the past 174 minutes, 24 seconds, dating to Benoit Pouliot's power-play goal Nov. 15 against Columbus. Koivu is the only Wild player to score at even strength in the past 340:04, dating to Andrew Brunette's goal Nov. 6 at Colorado.

Bouchard agreed his game has to improve and that production from his former line was subpar.

"For sure we were struggling," Bouchard said. "We were not creating much out there. I have trouble to say what went wrong. Maybe it's just a question of confidence. If we were able to get one [goal], maybe everything would start rolling. But we were unable to."

Earlier this season, Lemaire said that Bouchard needed to alter his game -- as in shoot the puck more. Bouchard insists over the past few games he has been more open to taking shots. Problem is, those shots aren't hitting the net.

Bouchard, who has scored two goals, had one shot on goal Thursday against Vancouver. In the three games before that, he had five. He has three games this season with zero shots on goal, and only one with more than three.

"I've been trying to go more at the net," Bouchard said. "I'm driving more to the net, and when the 'D' has [the puck], I go around the net more. I think I'm doing a better job on that point."

Nolan, who has skated with his fair share of players in 1,077 NHL games, said sometimes line combinations never get off the ground and that while skating with Bouchard and Belanger, the three "struggled a little bit."

"Some click quicker than others," he said of lines. "Us, it's taking a little more time, at times, waiting for chemistry. I definitely think down the road we get reunited. I don't think there would be a problem there."

In practice Friday, Lemaire had Nolan with Koivu and Brunette while Belanger centered Antti Miettinen and Brent Burns. Bouchard was with Stephane Veilleux and James Sheppard; those three have a combined 10 points.

But Bouchard is a believer.

"We made some good plays out there," he said after practice Friday.

Can that carry over into games?

"We'll see," he said. "Hopefully."

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