Boogaard tops a scoring list: most games since last goal

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Minnesota's Derek Boogaard

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: January 14, 2009 - 7:23 AM

When Andrew Alberts scored for Philadelphia on Saturday against Toronto, it ended a string of 163 games without a goal.

Good news for the Minnesota native. Bad news for a Minnesota hockey player named Derek Boogaard.

The Wild bruiser now owns the NHL's longest active streak without a goal -- 147 games, after he went goalless in Tuesday's victory over Phoenix. Boogaard hasn't scored since Jan. 7, 2006, against Anaheim.

"But I didn't play for more than half the season last year," Boogaard said. "Maybe my time's up. You always care about that stuff, but you can't worry about or think about it. I mean, if I was on the first or second line, I think I'd be in trouble."

When locker-room stallmate Cal Clutterbuck heard Boogaard hadn't scored in more than three years, the agitator couldn't help but chime in.

"That's a long time, man," Clutterbuck, 21, told Boogaard. "How do you get through the day? I mean, I was 18 years old. I was still playing junior hockey, Boogs."

Clutterbuck continued. "I can remember one chance you had to score this year. No, two," he said. "First, you hit a shin pad and it went to [Benoit] Pouliot and he scored an open net and the second one, I just watched it on tape yesterday, [James] Sheppard took a shot from a bad angle, hit a D-man and it went right to you -- backdoor. Wide-open net ... and you shot through the goalie's legs."

Said Boogaard, "Yeah, but the puck was on its side."

Said Clutterbuck, "It was wobbling."

Said Boogaard, "No. It was on its side, trust me."

Reminded how he had an open net in Anaheim and missed, too, Boogaard said, "[Jean-Sebastien Giguere] saved that. It hit his leg."

Said Clutterbuck, "You've played [33] games, and we can think of three scoring chances."

Said Boogaard, "I just have to capitalize."

Foster closer to return

Defenseman Kurtis Foster, out since last March because of a broken femur, hopes to return to action with the Wild by late February.

"My strength feels really good. It's just a matter of getting the pain to go away," he said. "There's still some pain there, and it's holding me back."

Foster is hoping to report to Houston on a two-week rehab stint soon after the All-Star break later this month.

"If you watch me skate, I feel like I look normal," Foster said. "But when I do certain things, the muscle still hurts. My shot's been awesome though."

Bergeron back in lineup

After one practice, defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron demanded to play Tuesday despite having missed 10 games because of a sprained knee. Then he scored 46 seconds into the game.

"I never thought he would play," coach Jacques Lemaire said. "I told [assistant coach] Mario [Tremblay on Tuesday morning], 'Go tell him that he's not in tonight.' [Bergeron] comes back five minutes after and said, 'I want to play!' So I said, 'Well, you're in.'"

"And then when you see that he gets that first goal," Lemaire added, laughing, "you're happy with the decision."

Said Bergeron: "It's funny. I now feel refreshed and feel I have more energy, so hopefully it'll be something positive."

Defenseman John Scott was reassigned to Houston to make room.

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