Wild notes: Three injured players take steps toward Saturday return

Wild coach Mike Yeo liked what he saw Friday, when Matt Cooke, Ryan Carter and Darcy Kuemper participated fully in a practice session at Xcel Energy Center. Still, Yeo stopped short of declaring them ready to play in Saturday's home game against Nashville, saying he wanted to gauge how they felt Saturday morning before making a decision.

Cooke (hip flexor), Carter (shoulder) and Kuemper (stomach ailment) all said they felt good after the workout. Kuemper lost some weight during his two-day illness, and Yeo thought the goalie lacked energy early in his first practice since falling ill on Tuesday. He gained strength as it went along, and he said afterward that he is ready to play.

"I only missed two days off the ice, so it's not like I was gone for a long time,'' said Kuemper, who felt good enough Thursday to eat three full meals and replenish his lost fluids. "Hockey-wise, I didn't feel rusty. You're sick, so you know your energy won't be 100 percent, but I felt good. I'll just take care of my body today and I'll be back to 100 [Saturday].''

Cooke, who has missed 22 games because of three torn muscles in his hip, practiced for only the second time in nearly eight weeks. The winger said his long recovery has been the most complicated injury rehab of his NHL career.

Team doctors couldn't determine the severity of the injury until four weeks after it happened, Cooke said, leaving him with no clear timeline for a return.

If his hip feels good Saturday morning, Cooke will participate in the morning skate and test it further. Yeo said Friday that Cooke appeared a little rusty early in Friday's practice but made progress through the workout, putting him on course to play against Nashville.

"I don't see any reason why he shouldn't be able to get in there with us,'' Yeo said. "I think a lot of things he brings to the table, we missed. Just the other team's defensemen knowing he's coming on the forecheck, it makes it a little bit tougher to execute when you've got that threat. I think also, he brings some attitude, and that will be valuable, too.''

In the past three games, Yeo said, he has seen plenty of good trends despite a 1-1-1 record. The Wild has spent more time in the offensive zone, applied better pressure on the forecheck, created more turnovers and shown more attention to detail. Yeo predicted better results will follow if players stick to that style and coaches demonstrate the right mind-set.

"Showing them the way, that's our job,'' Yeo said. "The only way you get through stuff like this is by showing the type of attitude you have to have, the type of demeanor you have to have, and then making sure you do your job as well as you can. That's what our guys will see from us.''

The Wild is teaming with Let's Play Hockey to present a new award in honor of Patrick Schoonover, the Eastview bantam player who died during a game last month. The Patrick Schoonover Award will be given each year to a Minnesota pee wee or bantam player who exhibits hard work, high character, loyalty, honesty, humor and athletic achievement.