Featured Article
Wild Week in Store for Minnesota
Written by: Chris Kitching on 03/12/2002 
The Week That Was: (3-0-0-1)
A strong week for the Wild as they failed to lose a game during regulation - their only defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers in overtime - picking up seven out of a possible eight points. Minnesota received strong offensive work from their top two lines, and solid goaltending from Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez.
Tue, Mar. 5: L 2-3 (OT) vs. New York Rangers
- Blown 2-0 lead in the third period.
Thu, Mar. 7: W 3-0 at St. Louis Blues
- Roloson records fourth shutout of the season.
Fri, Mar. 8: W 5-3 at Dallas Stars
- Big win over former Minnesota North Stars franchise.
Sun, Mar. 10: W 5-0 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
- Gaborik: Three goal performance, Roloson: Shutout.
The Week Ahead:
A very light schedule this week for Minnesota as they play only two games, both at Xcel Energy Center. With the Wild out of the race for a playoff spot, it will be interesting to see if they tweak their roster leading up to the NHL trade deadline on March 19, and if they re-sign or move those who will be unrestricted free agents come July.
Tue, Mar. 12: vs. Ottawa Senators (32-20-8-5, 3rd Northeast) - An under-rated team in the East with an explosive offense.
Sun, Mar. 17: vs. Phoenix Coyotes (30-22-8-5, 3rd Pacific) - In a race for one of the final playoff spots in the West.
Player of the Week: RW Marian Gaborik
The play of Gaborik was the main reason for the success of the Wild over the past seven days. Entering the week, Gaborik had not scored a goal since January 23 - a span of twelve games - but scored at least one goal in all four of Minnesota's games this week, including a hat trick against Columbus on Sunday. In total, the Slovakian finished the week with seven goals and one assist in four games, boosting his personal totals to 25 goals and 29 assists.
Trainer's Room:
D Filip Kuba remains on the injured list with a broken right hand. Kuba has been skating and is expected to have the cast removed sometime within the next week. The 25-year-old will rehabilitate the injured hand, but a return before the end of the schedule is still uncertain.
C Wes Walz is out indefinitely with an injured left shoulder and chest muscle. Both injuries occurred in practice during the Olympic break. No return date has been set.
Notes: LW Matt Johnson served the fourth game of a five-game suspension on Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Johnson was issued a match penalty March 2 for punching Vancouver Canucks D Mattias Ohlund in the head during a 6-3 loss....The Wild re-signed C Sergei Zholtok, 30, to a multi-year contract on Sunday, prior to the win over the Blue Jackets. Terms of the deal were not released. "This season Sergei has established himself as a valuable member of our team, and we wanted him to continue to build on his success with the Wild rather than with another team," said GM Doug Risebrough.
Copyright 2002 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.
HF Quick Navigation
