Wild coach Jacques Lemaire, refreshed after a quick trip to Florida, made the point over and over.
Look at the teams in the playoff chase, and ask yourself why they're there, he said. Then he ran down the list. "Why do you think Colorado is there?" he asked. "The goalie. Why is Calgary there? The goalie. Vancouver? The goalie."
Minnesota?
Manny Fernandez had returned to top form in the games leading to the All-Star break, only to sprain his left knee early in Saturday's game with Dallas. Lemaire knows he'll need Fernandez healthy and playing well for the team's playoff push.
"He's got to be at his best if we want to have a crack at it," Lemaire said.
But when will that be?
Fernandez took the ice early Thursday and worked with goaltenders coach Bob Mason. Then he stayed on the ice for the early part of the team's practice, leaving early to get treatment.
The good news for the Wild is that Fernandez already is skating and doing some work in practice; indeed, he said he skated throughout the break. The bad news? He still has stiffness in the knee. Fernandez will not play tonight against Calgary and is being listed as day to day after that.
That means Nicklas Backstrom will fill in tonight -- at least.
Fernandez, upbeat after practice, said he feels better than he thought he would.
"I skated throughout the break, never stopped," he said. "I didn't think I would be able to go away anywhere, so I canceled my plans, stayed here and worked. ... I did what I had to do to be where I am today."
Fernandez said he hoped to be ready for Saturday's game in Columbus, though that might be ambitious. "But if not [Columbus] the game after, for sure," he said.
The Wild enter its final 33 games in eighth place in the Western Conference with 54 points. The team is only five points out of the sixth spot, but both Colorado (51 points) and Edmonton (50) are on the Wild's heels.
Given the injuries the team has dealt with this season, both Lemaire and assistant general manager Tom Lynn said Thursday they are happy with their position, however tenuous.
That said, the team still is battling injuries with Todd White (leg) and Kurtis Foster (knee) a ways from returning. With the Wild scheduled to play four consecutive on the road after tonight's game with Calgary, the hope is Fernandez won't be out long.
Until Fernandez returns, Backstrom will carry the load, with recently recalled Josh Harding as the insurance.
Look at the teams in the playoff chase, and ask yourself why they're there, he said. Then he ran down the list. "Why do you think Colorado is there?" he asked. "The goalie. Why is Calgary there? The goalie. Vancouver? The goalie."
Minnesota?
Manny Fernandez had returned to top form in the games leading to the All-Star break, only to sprain his left knee early in Saturday's game with Dallas. Lemaire knows he'll need Fernandez healthy and playing well for the team's playoff push.
"He's got to be at his best if we want to have a crack at it," Lemaire said.
But when will that be?
Fernandez took the ice early Thursday and worked with goaltenders coach Bob Mason. Then he stayed on the ice for the early part of the team's practice, leaving early to get treatment.
The good news for the Wild is that Fernandez already is skating and doing some work in practice; indeed, he said he skated throughout the break. The bad news? He still has stiffness in the knee. Fernandez will not play tonight against Calgary and is being listed as day to day after that.
That means Nicklas Backstrom will fill in tonight -- at least.
Fernandez, upbeat after practice, said he feels better than he thought he would.
"I skated throughout the break, never stopped," he said. "I didn't think I would be able to go away anywhere, so I canceled my plans, stayed here and worked. ... I did what I had to do to be where I am today."
Fernandez said he hoped to be ready for Saturday's game in Columbus, though that might be ambitious. "But if not [Columbus] the game after, for sure," he said.
The Wild enter its final 33 games in eighth place in the Western Conference with 54 points. The team is only five points out of the sixth spot, but both Colorado (51 points) and Edmonton (50) are on the Wild's heels.
Given the injuries the team has dealt with this season, both Lemaire and assistant general manager Tom Lynn said Thursday they are happy with their position, however tenuous.
That said, the team still is battling injuries with Todd White (leg) and Kurtis Foster (knee) a ways from returning. With the Wild scheduled to play four consecutive on the road after tonight's game with Calgary, the hope is Fernandez won't be out long.
Until Fernandez returns, Backstrom will carry the load, with recently recalled Josh Harding as the insurance.
