Wild getting important goals from new sources

There was a time, not long ago, when Branko Radivojevic's name would come up every night when the Wild coaches would meet. Play him or scratch him?

"Now, we don't talk about him," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "Every night, he's in."

You think Stephane Veilleux and you think checking, right? Plumbing. But think again.

"He has one less goal than Butch," Lemaire said, referring to Pierre-Marc Bouchard. "And that's playing against the top lines, every night."

This is a pattern. Look at the Wild's past six games, during which the team has gone 3-2-1.

Guess who has been the team's top goal scorer? Not Marian Gaborik or Pavol Demitra or Brian Rolston or Mikko Koivu.

It's Radivojevic.

When Rolston scored a shorthanded goal to make the score 3-0 in the Wild's 3-1 victory at Xcel Energy Center Wednesday, it broke a streak in which nine consecutive Wild goals over three games had been scored by someone other than one of the team's "big guns."

That streak included Sean Hill (two goals), Radivojevic, Todd Fedoruk, Benoit Pouliot and Kim Johnsson (twice each).

So here's the question: Is this a sign that the Wild, which can clinch a playoff berth tonight with a victory and a Nashville loss in regulation, has developed scoring depth that will serve the team well in the upcoming playoffs? Or is it a warning sign that the team needs to get the big scorers back in a groove before those players start?

And these are important goals. Wednesday Radivojevic banged home a pass from Gaborik for the game's first goal, then had an assist on the second, the game-winner scored by Hill. In a 2-1 victory in Vancouver last Friday it was Radivojevic who got the game-winner, converting Demitra's perfect cross-crease pass to end a 2-on-1 rush early in the third period. In a crucial 3-1 victory over Colorado March 17, it was Radivojevic, alone in the slot, who redirected Brent Burns' shot home for a 2-1 second-period lead. Veilleux iced the game with his third-period goal into an empty net.

In the Wild's last three victories, the game-winners were scored by either Hill or Radivojevic.

Not surprisingly, most asked thought it was a good sign.

"It's a great thing," Lemaire said. "To have different guys scoring? That is the best a team can get. Because then you don't rely on the top guys all the time."

But what about those big guns? Lemaire said he isn't worried. After all, Rolston and Gaborik each have five points in the past six games, and Koivu is coming off a three-assist evening against Edmonton.

It's true that Bouchard (zero goals in his past 18 games) and Demitra (zero in his past nine) will have to pick up the scoring.

"Rolston plays with [Bouchard] and Demitra," Lemaire said. "Butch was sick. Demitra was hurt at a time. But I'm not worried. Because if the other guys score, and you win your share of games, it's a matter of time before the big guys score."

And when they do, the Wild will look like a team with a lot more depth.

"The bottom line is when you go into the playoffs, they're going to be checking Marian Gaborik," Rolston said. "Listen, the top players have to produce. There is no question about it. But we have to have those goals [from other players]. That's huge for us. Veilleux, Branko, they've been great for us, not only checking, but adding scoring."

Fedoruk said scoring brings confidence, which is all-important come playoff time.

"You need the big scorers to score the big goals," he said. "But anything else helps, you know? Especially with guys who might not be used to scoring. It helps their confidence. Then, maybe, when they're supposed to shoot it, they'll shoot instead of passing off."