Postgame: Wild 4, Blues 2

By Brian Stensaas

Twice it came up after the game, and twice the same words were used.

Wild players today, several playing hurt, "sucked it up" in a 4-2 win over a St. Louis team that has lost for just the second time in nine games.

It puts the Wild into within one point of the Blues for 10th place in the West.

Greg Zanon, who left for half of the second period after he blocked a shot and limped to the bench, and coach Todd Richards both used the "sucked it up" line in talking about the game.

The Wild came into Sunday already knowing it would be without Nik Backstrom, Brent Burns and Shane Hnidy (and, of course, Clayton Stoner and Pierre-Marc Bouchard). Then warmups came and no Owen Nolan.

He missed the game because of what the team called a "lower body injury."

And apparently it was worse than we knew.

" ... some guys were playing through injuries that I think normally they'd be out of the game," coach Todd Richards said. "They sucked it up and finished. I'm coming out of the game feeling happy with the way the guys competed and played. We need efforts like that."

Add Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse to the list.

How about that top line tonight? Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette and Antti Miettinen combined for seven points. And Martin Havlat was SOLID on his two assists. Great play intercepting that Blues' clearing pass on the blue line setting up Koivu's goal, and Havlat's puck control coupled with the speed (are you listening, Montreal ...?) of Latendresse was the reason Minnesota went up 3-0.

Before I go, how about this from the Blues' Cam Janssen on the fight between Boogaard and King, in which they dos-ee-do'ed (I am probably butchering that) before throwing haymakers (quote courtesy of the St. Louis Post Dispatch):

The Wild and Blues are done playing each other this season ... this regular season, anyway.

OK - that's it for me. I won't see another hockey game in person until ... wow, I don't know when. I'll probably pop in here and there to catch the home team before the season is up. But as far as reporting goes, I think this is it for this year.

There is no practice Monday, but there will be a Wild-related story in Tuesday's paper. Make sure to check it out.

From Russo: