Wild: Gaborik, Demitra look ready to return to lineup vs. Blues

By Kent Youngblood, Star Tribune

Last update: October 31, 2007 - 10:58 PM

The Wild's practice Wednesday was more relaxed than rugged. Coach Jacques Lemaire had the players do some tip drills, work on moving the puck. There wasn't a lot of high-speed work.

"I could have done what they did today," Lemaire joked.

But Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra, both coming back from groin injuries, were there for all of it. In fact, both stayed after practice to do some harder skating on their own. And both are listed by the team as probable for tonight's game with St. Louis, when the Wild will try to end a four-game winless streak.

Demitra wasn't in the lineup for any of those games. Gaborik missed the past two, but his legs didn't feel right in the two before that.

So is it time for both of them to ride to the rescue? Well, Lemaire talked at some length after practice about how well his team has played without Demitra and Gaborik, even in its 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

"I thought the guys played hard in all the games there," Lemaire said of the past four games. "We didn't do good against Calgary, and [in that game] we didn't do good for a period and a half. In all the other games, if we had one or two bad periods, that's it."

That said, there is no question that scoring goals is harder without the two creative wingers. Or that playing without them enables opponents to focus on other Wild players more easily.

Gaborik, who has down- played the severity of the injury from the start, talked like a man ready to return to action. He will push it again during today's morning skate.

"'I'm here to play, and I want to prove I can play hard and play healthy," he said. "So, hopefully, everything will be good [today] and I'll be ready to play."

Demitra would have to be taken off injured reserve in order to play. If both he and Gaborik are ready, that likely would mean that forward Cal Clutterbuck would be returned to Houston of the AHL.

Meanwhile, Lemaire said defenseman Kim Johnsson, who sustained a right leg contusion in the second period of Tuesday's game, would not play tonight and would be replaced by Keith Carney.

Also listed as probable are goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who suffered a groin injury in practice Saturday, and center Dominic Moore, who has been out for nearly three weeks because of an abdominal strain. Moore on Wednesday practiced for the first time since suffering the injury.

Earning more time?

A week ago Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough said rookie center James Sheppard, who earned a promotion from juniors to the NHL this fall, might be playing too much for his own developmental good. His playing time has increased with the Wild battling injuries.

But Wednesday Lemaire said Sheppard has played well enough to earn more playing time.

"I think Sheppard is on his way to playing more minutes," Lemaire said. "He's around eight to 10 [per game], and I think he's ready for maybe 15. He's getting quicker, he's doing a lot of good things. I have to find him wingers he will fit well with and play him more."

Etc.

• If, as expected, Carney returns to the lineup tonight, it will be for only the sixth time this season and for the first time in four games.

Kent Youngblood • kyoungblood@startribune.com