Wiesloch allgemein » Their hold on a spot in the playoffs hardly firm,

ST. PAUL Erik Karlsson Jersey Womens , Minn. (AP) — the Minnesota Wild’s streak of six straight postseason appearances took a hit when captain Mikko Koivu tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee .For the 35-year-old Koivu, who has never advanced past the Western Conference semifinals and has just a 16-39 record with the Wild in the playoffs, this severe late-career injury was a most unwelcome development even for a determined, intense player like him.For the Wild, the absence of their second-line center and best defensive forward will be impossible to cover up.For general manager Paul Fenton it created an unexpected complication to an already unclear picture about how to approach the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 25. Is this a postseason-caliber team, with the opportunity to make some noise in a tournament that’s one of the most unpredictable in sports? Or are the Wild bound for mid-April vacations and a higher-than-usual draft pick? Throughout his first season on the job, well, Fenton has acknowledged his own uncertainty.Should he try to buy and bring in a veteran center for the final push? Or start selling to restock the prospect pool? Stay tuned was Fenton’s answer to that question on Thursday morning, before the Wild hosted Edmonton.“I’m going to watch them play here a little bit. I actually have meetings with our staff to talk about where we are and how we are going forward here,” Fenton said. “I’m not trying to be mysterious. You guys watch our team as much and you look at the standings. Everybody is in it. It isn’t like we can say ‘Yes,’ or ‘No Patrick Maroon Jersey Womens ,’ or ‘You’re definitely in,’ or ‘You’re definitely out.’ It’s going to be a dogfight right to the end.”The Wild entered play Thursday in fourth place in the Central Division and in control of the first wild card spot, with one game in hand and a three-point lead on Vancouver. They haven’t produced a winning streak longer than three games since a five-game run that ended on Oct. 29, and in the first three games this month out of their bye week they snagged just two of six points.“It’s an opportunity for somebody else to step up and to make their mark,” Fenton said.The recently acquired Victor Rask will move up one line. Joel Eriksson Ek, who was recalled from the AHL after Koivu was hurt at Buffalo on Tuesday night, also will be heavily relied on.“We’re really going to miss Mikko, because he might be the best player this franchise has ever seen,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “But if you sit and pout and go, ‘Woe is me,’ you’re going to be all done.”Koivu, who will have surgery Friday Tyler Bozak Jersey Womens , did not speak to reporters. Fenton declined to speculate on his readiness for training camp in September, but the typical recovery timeline for an ACL would put his availability for the 2019-20 season opener in doubt. That’s the final year on Koivu’s contract, with a $5.5 million salary cap hit.In the meantime, his defense will unquestionably be missed the most.“That’s my favorite part of his game,” goalie Devan Dubnyk said.Koivu missed just three or fewer games in eight of his first 13 seasons in the NHL. This one will be his career low for a non-lockout schedule.“I’m sure there’s a lot of teams in the league that play against this team that are thinking that, ‘Finally, we don’t have to play against that weight and size that he brings to the game,’ because he’s a very competitive guy,” Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said. “I’ve seen him wear down a lot of good centers.” CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — St. Louis goalie Jake Allen rebounded at the Calgary Flames‘ expense.Pulled after allowing four first period goals in home loss to Calgary last Sunday and after giving up another four goals Thursday in a loss at Vancouver, Allen made 28 saves in the Blues’ 3-1 victory over the Flames on Saturday.“We rebounded really well against a really good team here in Calgary, probably one of the hottest teams in the league Chad Johnson Jersey Womens ,” Allen said. “They kicked our butt pretty good in our own rink a couple weeks ago. It’s just going to be a good feeling now to have a couple days off.”David Perron had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Bozak and Oskar Sundqvist also scored to help St. Louis finish 2-1-0 on their trip through Western Canada. Perron has nine goals and 11 assists in 16 games against Calgary since the start of the 2014-15 season.“It’s definitely coming for sure,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “This team has really good character. We’ve got some veterans who have been around a while. They know how to win.”Matthew Tkachuk scored his 16th goal for Calgary. The Flames have lost three straight. Calgary lost for the first time in regulation at home since Nov. 15, ending a 7-0-2 string.“Just because we played well against a guy a couple days ago, doesn’t mean it’s going to automatically translate into today’s game,” Tkachuk said. “Maybe had it in the back of our minds that if we shot everything, some would go in, but I think we need to get more bodies (to the net).”St. Louis opened the scoring 4:06 into the game. Perron gloved down a puck that had deflected high in the air and wristed a shot from inside 20 feet that beat goalie Mike Smith on the short-side. The Blues made it 2-0 at 11:43 when Bozak chipped in a rebound after Pat Maroon curled out from behind the net and had his initial shot stopped.The Flames scored with 3:11 left in the first. On their first power play of the day, they needed just seven seconds to convert with Tkachuk steering in a centering feed from Elias Lindholm.The Blues got some insurance two minutes into the third. Smith couldn’t control the rebound of Sundqvist’s 40-foot slap shot and when the puck popped back into the slot, Sundqvist converted.NOTES: Flames LW Michael Frolik (ankle) returned after missing 15 games. … St. Louis is 11-1-2 when leading after two periods.UP NEXTBlues: Host Buffalo on Thursday night.Flames: At Winnipeg on Thursday night.