Nate Prosser was back on the ice with the Wild on Friday after the team claimed him off waivers from the Blues, but Minnesota's D-pairings went: Ryan Suter-Matt Dumba; Ryan Murphy-Jonas Brodin; Gustav Olofsson-Mike Reilly -- with Prosser subbing in.
The defensemen all played pretty well -- offensively and defensively -- in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, so coach Bruce Boudreau doesn't seem in a hurry to tweak things. He was vague on whether Prosser will be in the lineup to face his old team Saturday, when the Wild faces the Blues.
Reilly and Murphy each had highlight moments Thursday, with Reilly setting up Mikael Granlund on a beautiful pass for the Wild's first goal, and Murphy making a game-saving poke check in the third period.
On Reilly, Boudreau said: "He's always had good vision, that's never been his problem. He's always been a good offensive defenseman, so that's the kind of play I expect him to make. ... It's a learning process still on the defensive end of the game for him, but offense should come easy for him."
On Murphy, Boudreau said: "The biggest thing with Ryan is getting out of the American [Hockey] League way, and I was there for my whole life. Things don't happen as fast. So good players can control the game just by slowing down the game. In the NHL, everything is faster, so you can't be slowing down the game. And I thought as the games have gone on, in both games, he's made plays a little bit quicker. And that's what he has to continue to do."
