Mike Yeo didn't want to spoil the mood. After the Wild's outdoor practice Sunday in Roseville, the coach was asked two questions about how the team would move on from its 6-5 overtime loss the previous night. "Are we going to keep talking about last night, guys?" he said, with some impatience. "I don't want to talk about last night. We can talk about that tomorrow. To me, this (outdoor practice) is what we're dealing with today."
Several hundred people showed up to see the practice at the John Rose Oval. The morning after a painful loss to Nashville, the Wild entertained them with a slow-speed four-on-four scrimmage in the snow. Players shoveled off the rink, laughed and joked, posed for a team photo and spent some up-close time with fans.
The fun, lighthearted day seemed to lift the mood of a struggling team. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who was pulled Saturday after allowing three goals on 14 shots, was all smiles after feeling the love of the overflow crowd. Kuemper had missed his previous scheduled start when he spent two days sick with a stomach ailment, but he said that didn't affect him Saturday.
"You're still trying to gain back your energy level, but that didn't have anything to do with what happened," Kuemper said. "I actually felt pretty good. I thought I was making good saves last game. You just have to keep doing the right things, keep practicing hard and make sure you keep having fun out there."
Zach Parise, who has noted his team's frustration at its inability to gain ground in the standings, also appreciated the back-to-childhood vibe of the day. Looking ahead to Tuesday's home game against Philadelphia, he's hoping to see the Wild straighten things out before a three-day Christmas break. A pair of games against Winnipeg awaits after that, giving the Wild another shot at knocking off a Central Division rival.
"There are a lot of things we're doing pretty well, and a lot of things we have to improve on," Parise said. "But like we were talking about last night, we've got to start closing that gap. We don't have any other choice than to hit the reset button."
Mikael Granlund, who became ill just before Saturday's game and sat out, did not practice Sunday. Yeo said "he'll be fine."
Here are some photos from the outdoor practice.
