There was plenty of chatter on the ice this morning at Xcel Energy Center, but it wasn't idle talk. The Wild buckled down through an intense one-hour practice designed to sharpen it up for Tuesday's home game against Pittsburgh, which features three of the NHL's six highest-scoring forwards in Sidney Crosby (seven goals-11 assists), Evgeni Malkin (five goals, 10 assists) and Patric Hornqvist (six goals, eight assists).

Good communication has been a key to the Wild's defense, which is as impressive as the Pens' offense. Pittsburgh's plus-19 is the best goal differential in the NHL, but the Wild is second at plus-17--thanks to a league-low 18 goals allowed. The Wild already has shut down some of the top players and lines in the Western Conference, and coach Mike Yeo said he is anxious to see how his team performs against Crosby and company.

Several players said the effort will start with communication, making sure everyone is aware when the Crosby and Malkin lines are on the ice. The task from that point on will be to frustrate the top scorers while effectively playing the smart team defense the Wild has demonstrated so frequently this season.

"It's been a collective effort," defenseman Marco Scandella said. "The forwards back us up when we're jumping into the play offensively. We're having great communication right now, moving the puck to get out of the defensive zone and using each other. It's a process. We've been building this for a couple of years now, and we're starting to learn each other's tendencies pretty good."

Scandella said the Wild will need to stay close to Crosby and Malkin, taking away time and space. Erik Haula noted that the team must stick rigorously to its system, keeping turnovers and odd-man rushes to a minimum and forcing the Penguins to play a 200-foot game. And Zach Parise--who knows a thing or two about being a scorer singled out for extra attention--added that the Wild must pin the Pens' stars in their own zone as much as possible.

"When you play against guys like Crosby and Malkin, when you don't have the puck, you have to make sure you stay above them and make them come through five (players)," Parise said. "And you can't cheat on the other side of the puck. The best thing against guys like that is to make them spend long shifts in their own zone. That's the frustrating thing when you play on a scoring line. When you find yourself in your own zone the whole night, it gets really frustrating."

In injury news Monday, Keith Ballard practiced for the first time in a long while. The defenseman said he has never gotten a definitive diagnosis of the illness that caused his jawline to swell up and sapped his energy. He skated only twice in the previous 12 days and will need to regain strength and conditioning before he's ready to play.

Forward Matt Cooke (lower-body injury) won't play Tuesday. Forward Ryan Carter (upper-body injury) also practiced Monday, though Yeo is unsure whether Carter will play Tuesday. "He looked pretty good, but we'll have to see how he is in the morning," Yeo said. "Sometimes, things like that might get a little bit more sore after you put in the work."

RACHEL BLOUNT