The result wasn't what the Wild wanted, but a 4-1 season-opening loss to the Avalanche didn't send the team scrambling.
Instead, the Wild will roll out the same lineup it used Thursday when it debuts on home ice Saturday at Xcel Energy Center against the Golden Knights.
"After Game 1, if you don't give guys opportunity – especially young players – they're going to make mistakes," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "They're going to be our life blood in this organization. We gotta let them play with a little bit of confidence that if they make a mistake, they're still going to be fine."
Still, there were plenty lessons to learn from that opening-night loss; the Wild stopped skating, struggled to transition the puck up ice and put just 13 even-strength shots on net.
"I think the most important thing is you gotta get 19 guys playing," Boudreau said. "We're not the kind of team we only have 10 guys playing to the top of their game that we usually succeed. Usually, when we're a complete team and everyone's going, we're usually pretty good."
Although he won't play against Vegas, forward Luke Kunin was on the ice with the team during the morning skate.
Kunin, who's recovering from a torn ACL, passed Boudreau's skate test Saturday. He's getting closer to being medically cleared to play and once that happens, it's likely Kunin embarks on a stint in the American Hockey League to reintegrate into game action.
"He hasn't played a preseason game yet," Boudreau said. "So common sense says he's going to go down and play some games. But the biggest thing is to get him healthy. He's what we need in this organization – a good young player who can play. So to get him playing at top speed would be the ideal thing rather than just throwing him into the fire up here right away."
