Miettinen out, Scandella in, Theodore starts vs. the B's

Afternoon from Beantown.

Did a sample survey this morning regarding the Andrew Prochno split puck. Matt Cullen, Andrew Brunette, Greg Zanon, Nick Schultz have never heard of such a thing or seen it. Cam Barker said it used to happen all the time playing outdoors, so his assumption is the puck was too frozen. He'd never heard of such a thing in an indoor rink.

Prochno's garnering national attention from this. Was on CNN's Headline News, Yahoo, Deadspin and of course, Russo's Rants (doesn't get any bigger than that).

If you get NESN, I'll be on with Mike Milbury during the Bruins' pregame show tonight. I plan to hit him with my loafers.

Quick update from the Wild's morning skate:

Antti Miettinen won't play tonight vs. the Bruins. It was clear to me he couldn't push very hard on his bruised leg. Coach Todd Richards said the hope is for him to play Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Marco Scandella will return to the lineup after being sick vs. Phoenix, scratched in New Jersey. Jared Spurgeon comes out. Scandella will skate with Barker, and Clayton Stoner and Greg Zanon, and Nick Schultz and Brent Burns will remain intact.

If I had to guess, no matter what happens tonight, Theodore starts in PIttsburgh, giving Backstrom a few extra days to rest up and play at home in an early game in the second of back-to-backs at home Sunday vs. Dallas.

But that's a guess. We'll see Saturday in Pittsburgh, but with an early game in Minnesota the following night, I'd think you'd need two different goalies to start.

How about the West? Wild is two points back of eighth, four back of fourth in the ridiculous-tight conference.

I mentioned this on Twitter, but the first tiebreaker at the end of the year for a playoff spot is non-shootout wins. The Wild is 0-4 in shootouts, meaning of the seven current non-playoff teams in the West, the Wild's actually tied with Chicago for most non-shootout wins (19).

Richards talked about Patrick O'Sullivan today and his need to find consistency in his game.

If I were Patrick O'Sullivan, a guy that's been scratched, a guy that's been bought out in the NHL, a guy that's been traded, a guy that's been put on waivers, I'm probably thinking I'm not in a position to take optionals off. But that's just me.