After a heartbreaking overtime loss in Game 1, the Minnesota Wild is quickly turning its attention to Game 2 of its series against the Blackhawks.
“Everyone took it hard,” Zach Parise said of the loss. “We have to shift our focus on the second one, what we can do better in the second game to come out with a win.”
One area of attention Wild coach Mike Yeo wants to focus on is bringing some more “nastiness to our game.”
Parise agrees, saying he “thought there were some times when we were a little too passive.”
Goaltender Niklas Backstrom is “day-to-day” with a lower-body injury, meaning Josh Harding could start again Friday. Darcy Kuemper was recalled from Houston to provide depth at the position.
Yeo says it’s too early to say who will start in goal Friday, but they’ll learn more when Backstrom is re-evaluated Thursday.
After Backstrom went down with an injury in pregame warmups to Game 1, Harding was the Wild’s only goalie. If he would have been injured, the third option didn’t exist.
