Coach keeps Wild's goalies on even keel in uneven times

It was a tough stretch for goaltender Josh Harding. After winning on Oct. 20 he went five starts without a victory. The occasional goal was getting through, and his goals-against average was rising, steadily if slowly.

By Kent Youngblood, Star Tribune

Last update: November 19, 2007 - 11:47 PM

But Bob Mason said: Don't worry.

Mason is the Wild's goaltenders coach. He is a quiet, calm man who likes his guys to act the same way between the pipes. So when things were getting difficult for Harding, Mason made a point of not overreacting. "I told him, 'Play your game,'" Mason said. "We watched tape; we looked at everything, his positioning, his technique. Sometimes you don't get the bounce. Sometimes one gets through that nine out of 10 times you'll probably have. I told him, 'Look at your fundamentals, your positioning. It's right on.'"

The Wild almost always has had good goaltending. Part of the credit has to go to Mason, who joined the organization in September 2002. Since then the Wild has ranked in the top five in the NHL in save percentage and goals against every season. Last season the Wild was first in both categories.

Coaching goaltenders can't be easy. The coach has to make sure his guys are doing things right, but he has to couch criticism in a way that won't hurt their confidence. Other than a quick glove, confidence might be a goaltender's most important asset. And so, when Harding or Niklas Backstrom is struggling -- and in recent weeks both had rough stretches -- it is Mason's job to get them back on top.

In Sunday's 4-1 victory over Colorado, Harding -- who had a 3.88 goals-against average in his previous five starts -- yielded one soft goal. But he also made several difficult saves.

Afterward, Harding talked about how Mason had helped him. "He just told me to go through my daily routine," Harding said. "Have fun, do your job. Tonight, I had that one goal, but I think I made some good saves to make up for that goal."

Now it is Backstrom's turn to shake off a difficult stretch in which he has lost two of his past three starts. Watching tape, Mason sees Backstrom getting a little high in the crease at times, making it difficult to get back into position.

"There have been a couple bad goals, but I think I had some good periods in those games, too," Backstrom said. "That's the way it goes in hockey. You can't think too much about the bad plays."

Etc.

• There have been several reports in Swiss publications saying defenseman/winger Petteri Nummelin has asked out of his contract so he can return to Europe. "I have spoken to Petteri directly," Assistant General Manager Tom Lynn said. "Not only is he uninterested in returning to Europe, he believes he will contribute to a run at a memorable season here in Minnesota."

• Pavol Demitra skated on his own again Monday. He is listed as day to day in regard to his returning to practice.

Kent Youngblood • kyoungblood@startribune.com

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