Mike Yeo reflects on the death of Flip Saunders; Kurtis Gabriel's NHL debut will wait

Having played last night and with tonight's early 5 p.m. game, the Wild didn't have a morning skate today.

So we just had availability with Wild coach Mike Yeo.

He opened his press scrum by talking about the passing of Flip Saunders. Yeo has always talked about Saunders with admiration, yet they only met once and it was clear before and after his scrum that Yeo was deeply affected by today's news.

On behalf of the Wild, he offered condolences to Saunders' family and to the Timberwolves.

When news emerged this past summer that Saunders was diagnosed with cancer, Yeo sent Saunders a text with words of encouragement and told him not to feel the need to reply.

"Obviously he heard some pretty tough news, and he continues to send a bunch of texts back to me just complimenting me and our team, so that definitely struck me," Yeo said.

After his scrum, Yeo stuck around to talk more about Saunders and reiterated how impressive and classy it was that Saunders got this news yet replied to Yeo with a bunch of "lengthy, positive texts. This is just a real shame. So sad."

Onto the more trivial subject of tonight's game against Winnipeg:

-- Yeo was very happy with the fourth line of Chris Porter, Erik Haula and Ryan Carter last night, so they'll play again and Kurtis Gabriel's NHL debut will have to wait. In fact, if the Wild gets out of this game healthy, I'd assume he'll fly back with the team and be reassigned to Iowa tomorrow.

-- Darcy Kuemper will start as planned despite Devan Dubnyk's shutout last night. I wondered if Dubnyk would even make the trip because this would be an opportunity where the Wild could simply use Niklas Backstrom as backup, but Dubnyk will back up and one now has to assume that Backstrom may never suit up unless there's an injury to Dubnyk or Kuemper.

By the way, that "pop" Dubnyk heard in his knee last night is nothing to worry about, Yeo indicated.

"Yeahhhhhhh, that's not the story that I got," Yeo said when I asked about the "pop."

-- Christian Folin will play, Nate Prosser will sit.

-- Yeo said the Wild will be in for a hard game tonight like always against the Jets.

"You come into this building, and you know what to expect. It's going to be a hard-hitting game, a physical game. They check hard and you have to fight for your ice out there, and with us playing last night, it'll be a good challenge," Yeo said.

-- With Flip's passing, I thought it would be appropriate to remind you of the below:

(cut and paste from Wild press release)

Minnesota's efforts will culminate on "Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night" on Tuesday, Oct. 27 when the Wild faces the Edmonton Oilers at 7 p.m. CT. The night will be dedicated to supporting the cause in numerous ways:

Wild players will wear lavender Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys during on-ice warmups, which will be auctioned on Wild.com. Details below.
Wild wives and girlfriends will collect new, unused pajamas at entrance gates of Xcel Energy Center prior to the game, which will be donated to local pediatric hospitals.
The nightly Split-the-Pot raffle will benefit HopeKids, which provides support for families who have a child with cancer or other life-threatening medical condition.
The game's Bench Buddies, Flag Bearer and Zamboni® ride experiences will be donated to pediatric cancer families.
Dasherboard signage around the rink will be colored lavender for the night.
Caribou Coffee will feature Amy's Blend at concession stands throughout the arena.

Fans and organizations can also purchase bundles of tickets to the Oct. 27 game to donate to cancer-affiliated organizations. Learn more by clicking here.
New this year, fans will be able to donate to Hockey Fights Cancer at cash registers by rounding up their purchase or naming a donation amount at Xcel Energy Center concessions stands and at all Hockey Lodge locations throughout the month of October.

Whether near or far, fans can also show support by downloading a personalized Hockey Fights Cancer "I Fight For" sign at wild.com/hockeyfightscancer. Fans are encouraged to share a picture of themselves holding their sign, and tag the Minnesota Wild (@mnwild on Twitter) and #hockeyfightscancer on any social media platform. Cards will also be made available to all fans in attendance on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and will be displayed during a special recognition moment in-game.

Hockey Fights Cancer merchandise is available now at all Hockey Lodge locations and stateofhockeystore.com. A portion of each sale will be donated to Hockey Fights Cancer.