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Home | Sports | Minnesota Wild

Scouting the Wild

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: April 8, 2008 - 11:12 PM

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WILD SEASON RANKINGS

Overall record: 44-28-10, 98 points

Home record: 25-11-5

Road record: 19-17-5

One-goal games: 23-18 (8th in the NHL)

Goals for: 220 (2.68, tie 17th)

Goals against: 210 (2.56, tie 8th)

Shots for: 27.0 (26th)

Shots against: 30.1 (20th)

Power play: 18.9 percent overall (7th)

Penalty kill: 85.2 percent overall (4th)

WILD VS. AVALANCHE

Season series: 5-2-1, outscoring Avs 22-19

Goals: Brian Rolston 4, Eric Belanger, Brent Burns, Marian Gaborik, Mark Parrish and Stephane Veilleux 2

Points: Rolston 8, Pavol Demitra 7, Burns 5, Kurtis Foster, Gaborik, Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard 4

Penalty minutes: Koivu 12, Burns 8, Gaborik 7, Rolston and Parrish 6

Goalies: Niklas Backstrom: 4-1, 1.98 GAA, .930 SP; Josh Harding: 1-1-1, 2.27 GAA, .926 SP

Power play: 9-for-28 (32.1 percent)

Penalty kill: 26-for-33 (78.8 percent)

OFFENSE

The Wild scores most of its goals on the power play or off 5-on-5 neutral-zone turnovers, then counterattacks. Marian Gaborik set a franchise record with 42 goals and 83 points and has a history of playoff production (12 goals, 21 points in 23 games). However, it needs better playoff performances from Pavol Demitra (four goals in his past three first-round losses) and Brian Rolston (eight goals in his past six first-round losses). The Wild also is hoping for a big postseason from young forwards Mikko Koivu (42 points) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (50 assists), and defenseman Brent Burns (15 goals, 43 points).

DEFENSE

For the Wild to win this series, it better be thinking defense first. That won't be easy after the loss of Nick Schultz (appendectomy) on Monday. The Wild developed a formidable checking line in the second half with wingers Stephane Veilleux and Branko Radivojevic, with Eric Belanger or Koivu in the middle. But the blue line will be under severe pressure to shut down Colorado's fast, lethal forwards corps, and now with Schultz out, that means bigger minutes for the likes of Petteri Nummelin, Keith Carney and Sean Hill. Expect to see a ton of Kim Johnsson, Martin Skoula and Burns.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Earlier this season, the penalty kill was uncharacteristically losing games for the Wild. Now, it's winning games (it finished fourth in the NHL), thanks to the solid play of defensemen Johnsson, Schultz and Burns and forward combinations that include Rolston, Koivu, Radivojevic, Veilleux, Demitra and Belanger. The power play has been inconsistent but climbed to seventh in the end.

GOALTENDING

Niklas Backstrom might not have been the same unflappable netminder that dominated last season's second half for the Wild, but he's getting hot when it matters. He is 10-1-4 in his past 15 decisions and 6-0 in his past six home starts with a spectacular 0.83 goals-against average and .970 save percentage.

COACHING

There's a lot of pressure on Jacques Lemaire, who has one more Stanley Cup ring than fingers, to make the correct lineup decisions. Because of the way Gaborik was manhandled by Colorado's Ian Laperriere in the regular-season finale, there's a good chance Lemaire dresses all three tough guys -- Derek Boogaard, Todd Fedoruk and Chris Simon -- at least in Game 1. But does that mean Mark Parrish is in the press box, and what happens late in games or overtimes if Lemaire has only 2 1/2 or three lines at his disposal?

INTANGIBLES

With this series arguably the most evenly matched in the West, home ice could play a big role. The Wild has won six in a row at home, and Colorado has proven to be a different team in St. Paul, where it was 0-3-1, than in Denver, where it was 3-1. The Wild is a totally different team when it scores first. It had the NHL's third-best record (36-4-5) when striking first and fifth-worst mark when getting scored on first (8-24-5).

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