Richards seeing rewards after road win

Keith Srakocic, AP

Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom covered up for a rare defensive lapse and stopped a close-in bid by Penguins star Sidney Crosby in the third period of Saturday night’s game. It was one of his 34 saves in a 2-1 Wild victory.

The Wild coach impressed his former AHL assistant when his team beat the Stanley Cup champs.

By RACHEL BLOUNT, Star Tribune

Last update: November 2, 2009 - 6:29 AM

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No one had to explain things to Dan Bylsma. When he and Todd Richards coached the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins three years ago, eager to initiate fresh ideas, Bylsma said it required 20 or 25 games for the new culture to fully take hold.

So he figured the Wild would remain a work in progress when it came to Pittsburgh last weekend. But while others weren't sure where things were headed, Bylsma -- now the Penguins' head coach -- knew what kind of team Richards was molding in his first season behind the Wild bench.

It finally revealed itself in the Wild's first back-to-back victories this season, including Saturday's 2-1 shocker at Pittsburgh that halted its 0-8 start away from home.

His first road victory as an NHL head coach allowed Richards a much-needed smile. It brought relief to the players as well, but not too much giddiness. In order for the weekend to be a true milestone, they stressed, it must be viewed as a starting point rather than as an end in itself.

"We're figuring out what we have to do to win,'' defenseman Greg Zanon said. "We're establishing an identity. We're starting to put pucks in the net, and we played a great five-man defensive system these last two games.

"But we're still in a hole. Two games obviously doesn't mean anything. We've got to keep going.''

Friday's home victory over the Rangers and Saturday's upset of the NHL's top team ended a stretch of seven games in 11 days. Today, the Wild returns to practice in the hope of cementing some of its emerging trends.

In both games, the team applied itself from start to finish, avoiding the lapses that derailed earlier efforts. Players consistently engaged opponents one-on-one and didn't surrender. They made far fewer mistakes, and when they did commit them, they regrouped quickly to limit the damage.

As Petr Sykora, Eric Belanger, Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu fueled the offense, the defense lent reliable support to stalwart goaltender Niklas Backstrom. Though the Wild was outshot 35-15 at Pittsburgh, its strong-willed defense protected a one-goal lead for 40 minutes.

When Richards was head coach of the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, with Bylsma as his assistant, they worked to transform that team's philosophy. Bylsma said Richards' communication skills, work ethic and attention to detail made that evolution happen, and he expects similar results in Minnesota.

Though Richards didn't recall how long it took, he knew it required resolve. He admired the way Penguins General Manager Ray Shero rebuilt the top level of the organization, and that success remains a model.

"I have the same philosophy and beliefs about how I want the team to play,'' Richards said. "When you go through stretches like where we're at, you have to keep reminding yourself [to be patient]. There are going to be bumps and things to deal with. Right now, we're in the middle of that.''

Or, perhaps, the Wild is on the cusp of something new. "We've taken the long route to get to this point,'' Zanon said. "But there are still a lot of games left. Maybe we can still make something special of this if we go one game at a time.''