With the rest of the state watching the Twins take it in the shorts from the White Sox, the Wild got some semblance of payback against another Chicago squad. The Wild won 3-2 in OT, thanks to two late goals by Stephane Veilleux. It's nice to see someone from the checking line rewarded for all the effort.
"I always have in mind to come to the rink and be hard to play against," Veilleux said. "I play defense to always be there and be sharp defensively. When games are even, sometimes the two first lines are always expected to score. So, a guy like me that can step up and chip in a couple of goals that sometimes makes a difference down the road for the team."
Oh, and will someone tell Marc-Andre Bergeron that with Boogaard on the team, he doesn't need to fight. He needs to run the point, not run to the box.
Already without defenseman Marek Zidlicky because of a sore ankle, the Wild lost defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron in the second period after he broke his nose in a fight with Kyle Beach.
It was Bergeron's third fight in three games. Strangely, his only NHL fight came during his rookie year in 2002-03.
"He's got to stop fighting. Just play the game," Lemaire said.
This game also was the season debut for one Marian Gaborik. Needless to say, the Wild are relying on him to provide a bit of offense.
Gaborik logged over 24 minutes of ice time and skated with Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette on the top line. The trio generated several scoring opportunities for a team attempting to replace three of its top five goal scorers from last season.
"We had some good moments, maybe we just tried to get into too much of combinations instead of maybe shoot and try to finish right away," Gaborik said. "We just have to get in the groove, get timing and just get used to each other. It was good we played the whole game together, which we really need. It doesn’t happen that often."
Game Highlights
Koivu Post-game
Tom Reid's Post-game interviews