Skoula has leg injury, is 'possible' to play

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: April 10, 2008 - 11:43 PM

Now we know why Wild defenseman Martin Skoula could barely move toward Joe Sakic before the Avalanche center scored the overtime winner in Game 1 on Wednesday.

Skoula injured his left leg, something that was evident after Sakic's goal. Skoula could be seen dragging his leg as he skated away.

"[Ruslan Salei's shot] went off Skoula's leg and sat there," Sakic said after Thursday's Avalanche practice. "So it was right place, right time."

Not for Skoula and the Wild. Skoula did not practice Thursday. He's listed as "possible" for tonight's Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals because of what the team's calling a "sore leg."

If Skoula can't play, and with Nick Schultz (appendectomy) and Kurtis Foster (broken femur) both out, the Wild would be forced to dress Erik Reitz, 25, called up from AHL Houston, to make his playoff debut despite only six games of regular-season NHL duty.

Reitz hasn't played since March 9 because of a high ankle sprain.

In his eight-year career, Skoula has missed five games because of injury. His 644 games are the most of any NHL defenseman born 1979 or later.

Parrish in, now he's out

One day after eking into the lineup, winger Mark Parrish is out. A "head injury" -- his second concussion of the season -- will keep him out of Game 2 after he slammed headfirst into the Wild bench on Wednesday. He's listed day-to-day.

Parrish said Thursday he was told not to comment.

Coach Jacques Lemaire wouldn't commit to which forward would replace Parrish, but Chris Simon likely is a possibility. The trade-deadline pickup, brought in to add leadership and experience, sat in the press box for Game 1 despite his 73 games of playoff experience, three Stanley Cup Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup.

Lemaire felt Salei's hit on Parrish was clean, although he felt Parrish shouldn't have been fair game to even hit because the icing "was at 50 miles an hour" and airborne.

"But the referees were good. I don't say this too often," Lemaire said.

On-the-job training

It'll be interesting to see if rookie Benoit Pouliot replaces rookie James Sheppard tonight. Sheppard played a strong all-around game, but Lemaire blamed a positioning mistake by Sheppard for Sakic's winner.

"It's not something you can just write down and say, 'This is what you do in this situation,'" Sheppard said. "It wasn't a brain [cramp]. If I had that situation again, I probably would have done the same thing.

"But it's my job to be low and support there. At the same time, a lot's going on around me. I'm not going to fret over it. It's just something that happens and you learn from it."

Boogey's big minutes

With Parrish out, Derek Boogaard, who played nine minutes, got power-play time Wednesday. He also played in overtime, but he wasn't surprised.

"Well, it's five-on-five," Boogaard said.

Said Lemaire: "Did a great job. No penalties. Got a few hits. Went in front of the net. Nearly scored.

"I felt that with as good as he was playing ... sometimes you think that well, maybe Boogey is going to go in front and we'll send the puck in front and it might hit his pants and go in."

Boogaard also tried to fight Colorado's Ian Laperriere, who declined.

"He said, 'You've got 100 pounds on me, why would I fight you?'" Boogaard said.

Etc.

• Fourteen players skated during the Wild's optional practice Thursday.

• Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote did not practice for Colorado.

• Asked if he personally tried to entice Forsberg to come to Minnesota, Craig Leipold, the Wild's new owner and the former Nashville owner who employed Forsberg last year, said, "I don't want to talk about that."

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