Vanek's habits get tweaked with hopes to end frustration

Thomas Vanek is tied for the Wild lead with 12 assists and tied for third in scoring with 14 points, but there's no doubt the veteran is frustrated by the start to his Wild career.

He was brought to Minnesota to score goals and help the power play, and to put it bluntly, neither has happened. He has 39 shots in 23 games, including two or fewer in 20 games. But after a three-point game Friday in Dallas that included the tying goal with 1 minutes, 52 seconds left (his second goal of the season) to force overtime, Vanek said he'd continue to stay positive and look ahead at getting chances.

"I feel like I'm making plays, and I'm getting in the areas," Vanek said afterward. "I was lucky enough to get a puck to get a chance there, but I feel like I'm finding the open spots, just the puck's not coming or it's hitting a stick or it's going in front of me or behind me. This time it was right on and gave me a chance."

But coach Mike Yeo also says Vanek has to work the right way to get those chances. Yeo said it's no coincidence that Vanek's finest game with the Wild came in his best game playing the system and working on the details within his game.

Yeo said Friday and Saturday that he is watching video regularly with Vanek in an attempt to get his game going.

"We're going to support him, and we're going to keep getting him through," Yeo said after Friday's victory. "This is a different conference he's playing in. It's a different team, a different structure and system, and the way we play the game is very different than what he's been doing for a lot of years, so it's going to take some time."

What's been frustrating about Vanek beyond the lack of goals is his propensity for turnovers and lack of moving his feet. He proved in overtime Friday, before assisting on Marco Scandella's winning goal, that when he wants to skate hard, he can.

Scandella is not yet completely out of hot water for his illegal check to St. Louis forward T.J. Oshie's head Saturday.

Oshie, who has a history of concussions, missed the last 11 minutes of the first period but returned in the second. However, concussion symptoms often crop up after the fact, and with no games for either team before Wednesday, the NHL was monitoring Oshie's health Sunday and still deciding whether Scandella's infraction merits league discipline.

The Wild had a scheduled day off Sunday and, in a bit of an oddity, will hold a "very optional" practice Monday, too. Yeo said he wants his big-minutes players to rest up for a good practice Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday's game against Montreal.

"This has been a very tough stretch for us, travelwise," Yeo said after the game.

In a 10-day stretch, the Wild flew to Philadelphia, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Minnesota, Dallas and Minnesota to play six games.