minnesota wild

Surprising Nashville Team Adds Another Road Win In 4-3 Win Over Minnesota

2006-11-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Sure, many people thought the Nashville Predators were a good team. However, no one could have expected what the Predators have done in the past couple of weeks. With a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, the Predators won their seventh straight road game in a row-a franchise best.

Making this particular win more impressive was the fact it was against one of the better NHL teams this season. Coming into the game, the Wild did not lose a game at home in their past 12 contests. Also, the Wild previously owned the Predators at home. The Predators last beat Minnesota on its home rink nearly five years ago.

All that did not matter on Saturday though. In a hard fought game, the Predators won the game in the third period when Shea Weber received a pass from Steve Sullivan and surprised Wild goalie Manny Fernandez by getting one past him.

After Weber's goal, the Predators defense toughened up and clearly outplayed the Minnesota offense. Minnesota only mustered six shots on goal in the final period. Predators goalie Tomas Vokoun also had a pretty stop of a Brian Rolston shot, on a breakaway in the middle of the period.

As for the game's first two periods, that saw an entertaining seesaw battle between the two teams. Minnesota took an early lead with a goal by Petteri Nummelin. The Wild took the lead though with one goal each by Steve Sullivan and Kimmo Timonen.

The second period opened with the Wild tying the game with a goal by Pavol Demitra. That was quickly followed by the two teams trading goals with the first one by the Predators' Paul Kariya and then the Wild's Mark Parrish a few minutes later.

The win puts Nashville atop the Central Division with a 9-3-1 mark and ready to cause more chaos on the road. As for the Wild, the loss still leaves them atop the Northwest Division with a 10-3-0 record.

Wild score 5 power-play goals in win

2006-10-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

They don't play the offense-friendly NHL All-Star game in October, but for a few of the Nashville Predators, it's starting to feel that way.

The Predators have surrendered 14 goals in their first two games and are 0-2-0 after their 6-5 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

"We've got 11 goals in the two games and don't have a point to show for it. That's bothersome," Predators coach Barry Trotz said.

Coupled with Thursday's 8-6 loss to Chicago, his team set a franchise record for most goals allowed in consecutive games.

"We lost the special teams war again," Trotz said.

Brian Rolston scored the winning goal with 1:11 remaining and Minnesota tied a team record with five power-play goals, improving to 2-0-0 for the first time in franchise history. Rolston capped off a 2-on-1 break, taking a pass from Pierre-Marc Bouchard and snapping a shot past Thomas Vokoun's glove.

"Butchie made a great pass to me," said Rolston, who led the Wild with 46 points last season. "The defeseman had pretty good position on us, so it was a perfect pass. The goalie kind of got a piece of it with his glove, but it squeaked through."

Pavol Demitra, Marian Gaborik, Mikko Koivu, Todd White and Mark Parrish, a Minnesota native who signed with the Wild as a free agent during the offseason, had power-play goals for Minnesota.

"Tonight we could see two good power plays," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire after his team scored on five of eight power plays. "With all of the penalties they're giving, if you've got a good power play you have a chance to win some games."

Steve Sullivan had a goal and two assists for Nashville, which led 2-0 early in the first. Mikko Lehtonen added his first NHL goal, and Scott Hartnell, Marek Zidlicky and Martin Erat also scored for the Predators.

Minnesota starter Manny Fernandez had eight saves in the opening period, and was pulled in favor of rookie Niklas Backstrom during the first intermission. Backstrom, playing in his first NHL game, had 17 saves in the final 40 minutes.

"That was like an All-Star game," said Vokoun, who made 28 saves for the Predators. "You can't win like that in this league. That should never happen. I don't know the answers. It's two horrible games."

Notes:@ Minnesota Twins stars Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer received a standing ovation from the crowd when they were shown on the video screens in the second period. ... Sullivan, who scored Nashville's first short-handed goal of the season on Saturday, led the Predators with four short-handed goals last season. ... Fernandez was last pulled from a game he started on Jan. 30 of last season, when he was yanked after allowing four first-period goals against Detroit. ... Wild defenseman Keith Carney, who missed the team's opener because of back spasms, was in the lineup on Saturday. ... Predators forward Paul Kariya, who played college hockey at Maine, addressed his alma mater's current team Friday before Maine beat Minnesota 3-1 in St. Paul.

Wild Signs Defenseman Peter Ratchuk

2006-06-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

For the second time since June 1, the Minnesota Wild tested the waters of the European free agent pool, and this time, fished out an American. After signing Finnish goaltender Niklas Backstrom on Thursday, the Wild signed Buffalo, New York-native Peter Ratchuk, a defenseman who spent the last three years playing in the German Elite League. The contract is for the 2006-07 season.
Ratchuk, who played his prep hockey at prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota, found his niche in Europe after bouncing around North America since making his NHL debut with Florida in 1998-99.
Last season, Ratchuk tallied 12 goals and 24 assists in 52 games in his first season with Adler Mannheim. He spent the previous two seasons with Frankfurt, a team he helped lead to the 2003-2004 German Elite League championship after scoring 43 regular season points (21-22=43) to rank third in League Scoring among defensemen. He added six playoff points (1-5=6) in 15 playoff games on the way to the German championship.
The 28-year-old was originally selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft with the 26th overall pick. The next season, he played for Bowling Green of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, but left after one year for Hull of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The next season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder found himself in the National Hockey League, appearing in 24 games with the Florida Panthers and scoring one goal and one assist. With the exception of eight more games with the Panthers in 2000-2001, Ratchuk played five seasons in the American Hockey League with four different teams.

Wild sign Backstrom

2006-06-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Wild signed free-agent goaltender Niklas Backstrom to a multiyear contract on Thursday.
Backstrom was 32-9-10 with a league-leading 1.68 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in 51 games with Karpat Oulu of the Finnish Elite League last season. The 28-year-old was second in save percentage. Backstrom led Karpat to consecutive Finnish League championships in 2004 and 2005. He was chosen goalie of the year and playoff MVP in 2004.
Backstrom will compete with Josh Harding to be Manny Fernandez's backup next season.

Benoit Pouliot signs multi-year deal with Minnesota Wild on Monday

2006-05-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

Benoit Pouliot, the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft, has signed a multi-year deal with the Minnesota Wild.
The 19-year-old winger recorded 35 goals and 30 assists with 141 penalty minutes and a plus-23 rating in 51 regular-season games for the OHL's Sudbury Wolves this season. The six-foot-three, 179-pound forward added eight goals and three assists in eight playoff games.

The Alfred, Ont., native, the 2005 OHL rookie of the year, is currently playing with the Houston Aeros after signing an amateur tryout contract with the AHL club last week. The Aeros have advanced to the AHL West Division final.

Minnesota's Johnson out of Wild's reach

2006-05-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Next month, Erik Johnson likely will make history as the first Minnesotan ever taken No. 1 overall in the NHL amateur draft. A jumbo-sized, mobile defenseman, Johnson has rocketed to the top of the scouting charts, passing the likes of Phil Kessel, Jordan Staal and UND's Jonathan Toews.
Johnson is from Bloomington, and his family has season tickets to the Minnesota Wild. And just in case you're wondering, the Wild have no shot at him. They select No. 9.
I suggested to general manager Doug Risebrough that he trade ALL his draft picks, including his two first-rounders, to St. Louis for the overall No. 1 and a crack at Johnson.
"I probably would," he said with a chuckle. "But they wouldn't."
Well, I can think of about half a dozen players I'd be happy to toss into the deal.
"I try to stay levelheaded," Johnson said of potentially being the top pick. "You've got to keep level-headed; it's only one day in your life. So I don't try and think about it too much."
He may be the only one not getting excited. Everyone else is fired up about this 18-year-old's NHL future.
"If he came to our camp next fall, he'd make our team," said Tommy Thompson, assistant GM in charge of amateur scouting for the Wild.
Dream on, Tommy. You're not going to get this kid unless you can figure out a way to trick St. Louis into coughing up that top pick. Maybe you can get owner Bob Naegele Jr. to send the Blues front office some really, really expensive chocolates.
Johnson, 6 feet 4 and 225 pounds, played at Holy Angels for two seasons before joining the National Development Team Program. He was a member of the back-to-back world championship under-18 team. Both the International Scouting Service and Central Scouting Bureau have him ranked No. 1.
Meanwhile, Johnson has signed a letter of intent to play for the Gophers next season. But I'll be shocked if he ever laces them up at Mariucci.
"I've been a big-time Gopher fan for a long, long time," Johnson noted.
Best-case scenario for the Gophers is that Johnson takes note of just how terrible the St. Louis Blues are as a team. That club needs more than a franchise defenseman to turn things around. How many 18-year-old kids want to get clobbered night in and night out? Johnson would win an awful lot with the Gophers.
Of course, being drafted No. 1 doesn't guarantee anything. Just four Americans have been chosen with the first overall pick in the NHL amateur draft. The results have been mixed. The North Stars took the first two, Brian Lawton in 1983 and Mike Modano in 1988.
The weight of being the first U.S. player taken No. 1 was a lot to bear for Lawton, who never became a star. Modano, out of Michigan, is winding down an all-star career, however. He lived up to all the hype.
The third American chosen was defenseman Bryan Berard, who oddly enough played high school hockey at Mount St. Charles in Rhode Island - same as Lawton. Berard, taken by Ottawa in 1995, now is a decent defenseman for Columbus. A serious eye injury has held him back.
Goaltender Rick DiPietro was the last American picked No. 1 overall. Out of Massachusetts, DiPietro was chosen by the Islanders in 2000 and appears to be on his way to a top-notch career. He was rushed into the NHL, so he still is developing.
Johnson's ultimate goal is to play professional hockey. He already has sacrificed a lot toward that objective, including moving away from home to train with the development team in Michigan.
"It's really like a job," he said. "How much work you put into it is what you get out of it. It's a lot of work but a big reward at the end.
"All my life I've wanted to be a hockey player. It's kind of funny. I told my dad when I was really young, 'I'm going to play in the NHL for a living.' 'Oh sure, the NHL,' he said. But I've worked hard at it. You're not a normal teenager. You give up your high school friends, the dances, all of that. Last year was tough. I wanted to go home. I stayed with it."
Clearly that effort is paying off.
"I've seen him numerous times in all sorts of situations," Thompson said. "He's huge, and he's perfectly coordinated. He's a beautiful, fluid skater with puck skills who is physically strong and aggressive."
He also is a pretty smart kid. He has been writing a blog for usahockey.com in these weeks leading up to the draft.
"I just think it's been a good opportunity," he said. "I'm in touch with more people. They get to learn a little more about you."
The scouts, though, have learned all they need to learn. It should be a big day for Johnson, and Minnesota, June 24 in Vancouver.

And a Child Shall Lead Them

2006-05-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Rookie goaltenders have had success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before – most notably with Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986, both leading the Montreal Canadiens to the Cup – but never before has a crop of rookie goalies dominated the playoffs like they have this season.

Of the five remaining teams in this year’s playoffs, three are led by rookie goalies and another by a first-year starter. Carolina’s Cam Ward, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, Anaheim’s Ilya Bryzgalov, and San Jose’s Vesa Toskala have all enjoyed incredible playoff success thus far.

Seven-year veteran Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers, who was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Minnesota Wild, is the only experienced goaltender left. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that, especially with the presence of such big-name goalies as Martin Brodeur and Miikka Kiprusoff, and other veteran backstops or NHL powerhouses like Detroit’s Manny Legace, Dallas’s Marty Turco, and Colorado’s Jose Theodore, among the contenders.

The New Favorite

Thanks to a surprisingly easy 4 games to 1 victory over the New Jersey Devils, and a dominating performance winning four straight games over Montreal after losing the first two in Round 1, the Carolina Hurricanes have emerged as the new favorite to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Despite finishing the regular season with 112 points, just 1 behind Eastern Conference leader Ottawa, the Hurricanes’ odds of winning the Cup entering the playoffs were posted at 10-1. That was before the oddsmakers had seen Ward turn away almost every shot he’s faced.

In 10 playoff games, the 22-year-old rookie has allowed just 17 goals while posting a 1.77 goals against average (GAA). Ward let in just five goals in Carolina’s four victories over New Jersey as he outplayed his boyhood idol Brodeur. With his stellar play, and the Hurricanes’ opportunistic offense, led by 100-point scorer Eric Staal, Carolina will be tough to beat.

The Upstart Challenger

The Sabres’ Miller is the only U.S.-born goalie among the Fab Four. He hopes to duplicate the feat of another rookie American goalie, Ron Hextall, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987. After a shaky start in Game 1 against Ottawa, Buffalo’s defense and Miller shut down the Senators the rest of the way, allowing two or fewer goals in each of the last four games. The Michigan native has a 2.25 GAA and a .921 save percentage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Buffalo’s defense has been stellar in front of Miller. Defensemen Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder lead all playoff performers in plus/minus at plus-13. The Sabres’ offense has been scoring in bunches. Buffalo has a team-leading 43 goals scored in 11 games and is riding high after winger Jason Pominville’s shorthanded, overtime goal clinched the series against Ottawa.

Mr. Perfect – Almost

Anaheim’s Bryzgalov has been the most surprising and impressive of all the rookies. Bryzgalov didn’t even enter the playoffs as the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie. That honor went to Jean-Sebastian Giguere, who led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003, his second year in the league, and was named the Conn Smythe winner as the MVP of the playoffs that season.

After splitting their first four games against Calgary in Round 1, the Ducks made the switch to Bryzgalov and they haven’t regretted it. The 24-year-old Russian has practically stood on his head as he is sporting a ridiculous 0.87 GAA and .967 save percentage. He recorded three straight shutouts, including Game 7 at Calgary to clinch that series. In doing so, Bryzgalov set a rookie playoff record, holding opponents scoreless for 249 minutes, 15 seconds. Only Montreal’s George Hainsworth, 270:08 in 1930, has had a longer playoff scoreless streak.

The Final Four

San Jose’s Toskala is hoping to join his fellow first-year netminders in the conference finals. After an excellent series against Nashville in Round 1, including a shutout in Game 2, and two 2-1 victories to open the Edmonton series, Toskala and the Sharks find themselves on the ropes as the Oilers have stormed back to take a 3-2 series lead. Edmonton will try to close it out at home on Wednesday night.

San Jose’s offense is led by Patrick Marleau, who leads all playoff goal scorers with nine. The Sharks will need to get an early lead and help Toskala protect it to force a Game 7 at home on Friday.

The Finals

The matchup between Ward and Miller should be as entertaining as it gets. Both are capable of stealing a game or two for their respective teams. Carolina is the favorite, but Buffalo has a lot of momentum and Miller has shown he can win the close games with four one-goal victories against Ottawa. Look for the Sabres to get to the Finals.

The Ducks have had a long time off after unexpectedly sweeping the Avalanche. Anaheim may be a little rusty to start the conference finals, but the Ducks have good veteran leadership in Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne and will ride the stellar play of Bryzgalov past either the Oilers or the Sharks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Wild in need of some changes

2006-05-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

After a crushing defeat, then-Texas Rangers manager Bobby Valentine sat bemoaning the terrible performance by his starting pitcher. It was the latest in a series of poor outings by this particular fellow, and Valentine was livid.
A nearby coach piped up and said: "The kid is trying. He's giving it everything he has."
The manager was unimpressed. "I can get a truck driver to go out there and give me a good effort,'' he said. "I don't need effort. I need results."
That might be the perfect epitaph for the 2005-06 Minnesota Wild. The Wild have established an NHL-wide reputation for being hard workers. OK, lovely. Now where are the results?
This comes to mind as the front office gets ready for a very busy couple of months. Clearly, the Wild are about to morph from a mediocre, offensively challenged squad to a … I don't really know. But suffice it to say the team will have a different look.
"It's going to be different," general manager Doug Risebrough agreed. Then, perhaps sensing my excitement, he laughed and added: "But I've got some bad news for you. We're not going to be playing fire-wagon hockey."
Well, I can live with that. But one more 2-1 game and I might jump from the upper deck at Xcel. Of course, if I landed in the lower bowl and splattered myself in one of the expensive seats, they might try to charge me for a ticket.
Fully half of the regular defense corps is eligible for unrestricted free agency: Filip Kuba, Daniel Tjarnqvist and Andrei Zyuzin. Risebrough said he hasn't decided if he wants to try to re-sign any or all of them.
"I haven't made an offer," he said. "I'm curious to see what's out there."
General managers generally make offers to their unrestricted players by June 15. After that, there is a moratorium on all negotiations until July 1, the start of the free-agent signing period. The Wild brain trust will meet in a couple of weeks to assess potential free agents.
My assumption is they will be looking at higher quality players, too. For whatever reason, the organization in the past has taken great delight in acquiring journeymen and turning them into serviceable NHLers. Jacques Lemaire and his coaches can hardly contain their glee when they get a Randy Robitaille or Tjarnqvist and remake them into functioning role players.
The fan base yawns, however. They don't get nearly so excited about seeing an ugly duckling turned into a slightly less ugly duckling.
"We have more places to fill this year," Risebrough said. "I'm looking. It's worth seeing how we can improve, and I'm of a mind to look harder."
Meanwhile, preparations continue for next month's amateur draft. Assistant GM Tommy Thompson says this year's crop isn't particularly deep, but it's deep enough.
"There's 14 guys we'd be really excited to get," he said. "We draft ninth and probably 17th, depending on what Edmonton does (in the playoffs). The odds are pretty good that we'll get two of those 14."
As part of the different makeup of next season's team, look for 2003 draft pick Patrick O'Sullivan to be in the lineup right out of training camp. Houston teammate Roman Voloshenko could join O'Sullivan in Minnesota. Benoit Pouliot, last year's top Wild pick, has a shot but probably needs seasoning.
"Last year, we gave a lot of free passes," Risebrough said. "We gave passes to some younger guys to see what they could do. This year, there are no free passes."
Risebrough also has been negotiating with restricted free agent Marian Gaborik, albeit in fits and starts. He's trying to sign him to a long-term deal. He has offered a five-year deal: the first year at $4 million, the next four at $5.5 million per.
Gaborik's agent has not made a counter offer, apparently preferring to see how the free-agent market shakes out this summer. If Gaborik does not agree to terms, he is eligible for arbitration. He could become an unrestricted free agent in 2007.
"It's going to be worked out," Risebrough said. "He's a restricted free agent. He's got the right to arbitration. He's got the right to sign a long-term deal. If we can't work out everything and they want to go to arbitration, that's OK."
Gaborik is one team component that we hope doesn't change anytime soon. Other than that, a half-dozen or so new players will be most welcomed.
I don't know what the team is going to look like in a couple of months. I do know I will like it better, no matter what.

MINNESOTA WILD ANNOUNCES NEW MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH ANHEUSER-BUSCH

2006-05-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Wild announced today a new multi-year partnership agreement with Anheuser-Busch. As part of the premier partnership agreement with the club, Bud Light will continue to serve as the “Official Beer of the Minnesota Wild.” Anheuser-Busch has been a Minnesota Wild corporate partner since May of 2000.
“We’re extremely excited to continue our partnership with Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch,” said Executive Vice President Matt Majka. “Anheuser-Busch has been a premier partner of the Minnesota Wild since our inaugural season.”
Bud Light and the Wild will continue to hold the popular “Hockey Unplugged” program which encourages fan access to athletes in a casual atmosphere. Once a month during the NHL regular season, the Minnesota Wild and Bud Light will invite a Wild player or local hockey celebrity to appear at a local bar or restaurant to tell hockey stories and interact with fans.

Wild sign '05 first-rounder Pouliot to multiyear deal

2006-05-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Wild signed their 2005 first-round pick, left wing Benoit Pouliot, to a multiyear contract on Monday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The fourth overall selection in last year's draft, Pouliot, 19, recorded 35 goals and 65 points in 51 games with Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League this past season.
The 6-foot-3, 179-pound Pouliot also was a member of the gold medal-winning Canadian national team at the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championships, notching five assists in six games.
The 2005 OHL Rookie of the Year, Pouliot has scored 66 goals and recorded 136 points in 122 career games with Sudbury.

Next week on TV (5-1/5-7)

2006-04-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

By Daniel Kline
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Both the NBA and the NHL close out the first round of their playoffs. In baseball, you’ve got the Orioles and the Blue Jays, matching up in what has to be one of the biggest questions of the baseball season. One of these teams might hang on to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, but probably not both, making this early season tilt a little more interesting.

*All times Eastern.

Monday, May 1
NFL Europe, Berlin at Rhein (3 p.m., NFL Network)
Stop arguing about who your team drafted and check in on the sport’s minor league with this mid-afternoon match-up. Though NFL Europe might not get the attention of its big brother, the league offers a good chance to figure out which back-up players might break through come the fall.

Tuesday, May 2
Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., DirecTV, regional)
Every Yankees versus Red Sox match-up gets covered like a playoff game in Boston and New York, so expect tempers to flare in this tilt. The Sox have had the early season advantage, but that’s nothing new, as the Sox always have a division lead in the Summer – the question is whether they can hold it in the Fall.

Wednesday, May 3
Boxing (9 p.m. ESPN2)
Sharmba Mitchell takes on Jose Luis Cruz in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Cruz plays the role of the fighter on the way up, taking on former two-time champion Mitchell, who wants one more shot at the gold. Mitchell was knocked out in the sixth round in his last fight, but that was against Floyd Mayweather – one of the best in the division – so he’s aiming to prove that was a fluke and knock Cruz off the ladder of contention.

Thursday, May 4
Wachovia Open (4 p.m., USA)
A Tiger-less field should leave this one pretty wide open. Vijay Singh attempts to repeat as champion, a title he took last year in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk.

Friday, May 5
College Volleyball (Midnight, ESPN2)
Catch the men’s semifinal of the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament. This might be your last chance to see some of your favorite players before they turn pro and head out on the lucrative men’s volleyball tour.

Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby (6 p.m., NBC)
Horse racing only matters three times a year to the average fan, but the Kentucky captures the best of the sport. Because it’s the first Triple Crown race, every Derby winner stands the chance of being the first horse to bring home racing’s most elusive prize since Affirmed in 1978.

Sunday, May 7
Premier League Soccer (5 p.m., FOXESP)
Two of the big powers in the Premiership face off as Newcastle battles Chelsea in an attempt to cut into Chelsea’s overall lead in the standings. Chelsea did just fall in the FA Cup semifinal, but their big lead in the regular season standings makes clinching the title almost inevitable.

Daniel Kline’s book “50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do” is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com.

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Wild Will Pick Ninth In NHL Entry Draft

2006-04-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Wild was slated for the ninth overall pick in the 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft heading into Thursday's NHL Draft lottery. There was a 2.7%chance the Wild could move up as high as the number five pick, but it also could have fallen back one spot if a team behind it had won the lottery. Neither scenario happened, and the Wild will pick ninth on June 24 at the Draft in Vancouver.
The St. Louis Blues will own the first pick in the Draft.
This will be the fifth time in seven years that Minnesota has had a top 10 pick. It has never picked ninth overall, but the Wild did select Pierre-Marc Bouchard with the eighth overall pick in 2002. The most notable player taken recently with the ninth pick is defenseman Dion Phaneuf, who was selected by Calgary in the 2003 Entry Draft.
According to Hockey's Future, the ninth-rated player is Bryan Little, a 5-foot-10 center with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.
The remaining drafting positions will be determined at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but assuming the Edmonton Oilers do not win the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Wild will also own the 17th overall pick in the draft.
The Drawing was conducted at the NHL’s New York office.
Fourteen balls, numbered 1 to 14, were placed in a lottery machine. The machine expelled four balls, forming a series of numbers. The four-digit series resulting from the expulsion of the balls was matched against a probability chart that divided the possible combinations among the 14 participating clubs. The chart showed that the Blues had been assigned the numbers (11-14-13-1) that were expelled.The Draft Drawing is a weighted system to give the teams that finished with the fewest points during the regular season the greatest chance of having their combination selected.

Breaking News: Wild Re-Signs Fernandez

2006-04-17T10:42:00.001-07:00

Minnesota Wild odds President and General Manager Doug Risebrough announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has re-signed goalie Manny Fernandez to a multi-year contract.
“The Wild’s commitment to Manny and his commitment to the team are based upon his play this season and his performance with the Wild ever since he started the first home game in team history on October 11, 2000,” Risebrough said. “We see this as a step that will continue to improve our team and help take us to the next level.”
Fernandez, 31 (8/27/74), is in the midst of his most productive NHL season, establishing a new career-best for wins in a season with 23 and ranking among the league leaders in goals-against-average and save percentage. Fernandez entered Friday’s games ranked third in the league with a .924 save percentage and fifth with a 2.20 GAA.
Fernandez was originally acquired by the Wild along with Brad Lukowich from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a third round selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth round selection in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected by Quebec in the third round (52nd overall) of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.
As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Wild-Avalanche

2006-04-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Beating the Minnesota Wild has become almost routine to David Aebischer.
Aebischer stopped 33 shots and continued his mastery of Minnesota as the Colorado Avalanche won 4-2 on Tuesday night.
``I have played pretty well against them,'' said the Colorado goalie. ``It just seems like the guys play well in front of me and I make the saves I have to make.''
Aebischer improved to 4-0 against the Wild this year and has allowed only six goals in those games. He is 9-2-0 against Minnesota.
``It doesn't seem like much to him to beat the Wild,'' said Milan Hejduk, who scored his 17th goal of the year and his 103rd career goal in the Pepsi Center. ``He beats them every time.''
Rob Blake, Brad May and Andrew Brunette had goals. Joe Sakic added three assists for the Avalanche.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Marian Gaborik had power play goals for Minnesota as Jacques Lemaire failed to earn his 400th coaching win.
Aebischer said it wasn't as easy as it looked. Coach Joel Quenneville agreed.
``I couldn't believe the quality of chances that there were in the first period,'' Quenneville said. ``There were a lot of good chances and David made the saves.''
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead with a power play goal by Bouchard at 15:12 of the first period. The Wild could easily have had more.
Aebischer stopped Gaborik, who was stationed at the front of the crease at 5:15 of the period. Pascal Dupuis nearly jammed in a backhander seconds later.
Bouchard finally scored when he froze Colorado defenseman Patrice Brisebois just inside the blue line and skated to the upper left circle to beat Aebischer with a slap shot.
The goal awakened the sluggish Avalanche and Blake and May scored 52 seconds apart. Blake banged back a rebound after goalie Manny Fernandez stopped Hejduk's shot at 16:38 and then May scored after Dan Hinote delivered a pass to him from behind the net.
Hejduk made it 3-1 only 52 seconds into the second period with a shot that caromed off the left post and into the back of the net. The Wild failed to capitalize on a double-minor high-sticking penalty on Brunette midway through the period.
``We just weren't in sync the whole game,'' Lemaire said. ``We weren't playing as well as we did before the break and at times left our defensemen out to dry.''
Aebischer survived a 20-second stretch without a stick when the Wild kept the puck deep inside the Colorado zone with under six minutes left. Defenseman Karlis Skrastins stopped one shot with his body during the flurry.
Gaborik cut it to 3-2 with a power play goal with 1:22 left. Brunette sealed the game with an empty net goal with 38 seconds left.
Aebischer had one breakdown when he inadvertently played the puck outside the trap zone and earned a delay of game penalty at 13:26 of the first period.
``I just got back from the Olympics,'' Aebisacher said. ``I forgot I can't play the puck outside an area over here.''
Playing for the Swiss Olympic team, Aebischer was 1-1-2 with a 2.10 goals against average.

Wild's Fernandez turns into iron man

2006-04-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Eyebrows arched throughout the GM Place press box when Josh Harding surprisingly led the Minnesota Wild onto the ice to warm up before Friday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Speculation swirled that the rookie goalie would make his NHL debut, as the starting netminder usually spearheads the charge. Disrupted protocol didn't dictate a change, though. Harding had to wait, because Minnesota's crease belongs to Manny Fernandez.
Fernandez started his 12th consecutive game and was the Wild's most valuable player in a 2-1 shootout victory. His 28-save performance was pivotal because of the timing and nature of his stops.
Fernandez blocked four wraparound attempts in the first period as the nhl Canucks crashed the net. He kicked out his right pad to thwart Anson Carter on a second-period breakway. And he made a steely left leg save to preserve victory by denying Daniel Sedin's bid to extend the shootout into sudden death.
"They didn't get more than one goal in the first two periods because of Manny," coach Jacques Lemaire said. "We were lucky he was there."
It has not been easy for Fernandez since Dwayne Roloson was traded and he inherited the No. 1 job he coveted. He is 5-5-2 with a 2.57 goals-against average and .899 save odds percentage; those are average numbers compared with his sixth-ranked season statistics of 2.28 and .918 entering play Saturday.
But the goal-starved Wild have offered little help, averaging 1.58 goals a game since the trade. Fernandez's margin for error is razor thin, and he knows it.
"As of late, I've known that every goal is huge and can decide the game. Sometimes, I've reacted a little bit badly," he said. "I've taken full notice of that. Any time that I can keep it at one or two, I feel I can give this team a chance to win."
Fernandez already has established career highs and team records in victories (29) and appearances (53). He appeared fatigued, taking several knees during the third period of the Wild's 3-2 win at Edmonton on Tuesday, which started a three-games-in-four-nights span that ended with his strongest game of the road trip.
However, Fernandez said the stress of wondering when his next start would be used to drain him more than starting every game.
"When you don't play a lot, it's tough mentally, so you get kind of burned out just working your head out," he said. "Now, it's a little more demanding physically, but mentally, it's getting easier by the game."
As for Harding, there is no more convenient game on the waning schedule for him to start than Tuesday's home game against the bottom-feeding St. Louis Blues.