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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild were reeling as last year ended. Star Zach Parise was on injured reserve. Coach Mike Yeos job was in jeopardy. Then the problems really piled up. Starting goalie Josh Harding was out of action again with an illness. Captain Mikko Koivu broke his ankle. Defenceman Jared Spurgeon got hurt, too. Somehow, the Wild survived -- and thrived. "Ah, it was a piece of cake," Yeo said last week, smiling wryly. "I slept like a baby." With an 11-4-2 record in 17 games since the calendar turned to 2014, the Wild have taken control of the first of two wild-card spots in the Western Conference playoff race. With 69 points, theyre ahead of Phoenix and Dallas, who have 64 apiece and have played one fewer game. Eight of those 11 wins were in regulation. "All I wanted to do is I wanted our players to look at me and say, OK, hes got confidence. OK, well, we should have confidence," Yeo said. "That was the one thing that I wanted. And I did believe in the group that we had still. And I did believe in the game that we played." The Wild still have had trouble scoring, ranking 25th in the NHL with 2.36 goals per game. With Hardings return unknown and Niklas Backstrom injured and ineffective at different times this season, Darcy Kuemper has taken over in the net. Relying on a rookie goalie can be a risk. But Parise is back in form from his broken foot. Spurgeon has returned. Koivu is skipping the Olympics and expected at full strength when the schedule resumes on Feb. 27. Nino Niederreiter, acquired in a draft-day trade, has given the offence a boost. Mikael Granlund has bounced back from a rough rookie year. "I think weve got good character," leading scorer Jason Pominville said. "A lot of guys stepped up in different situations. It wasnt easy at times. You could tell that we were missing some of our key guys, but I think other guys kind of found a way to adjust their game and get adjusted to the level of our play that you have to be successful night in and night out." During Yeos tenure as coach, the Wild have seemed to play better in less-than-ideal circumstances than when in tip-top shape. "Knowing our group, knowing competitors in general, they love a challenge," Yeo said. "So I think we all do." League realignment was welcomed by the Wild, for enhanced regional rivalries to better entice fans and more games in their own time zone. But this season, the new look has made their post-season bid more difficult. Only the top three teams in each division are guaranteed a playoff spot, and St. Louis (84 points), Chicago (84) and Colorado (79) are comfortably ahead of the Wild, who have only 23 games left. "Weve just got to focus on winning games and when we play Colorado, try to beat them and try to lessen that cushion that they have on us and try to slowly creep up on them," Pominville said. Added Parise: "Thats hard to gain that many points. But you never know. ... Youve got to push the teams down that are below you, and we have to take care of ourselves." The non-Olympians on the roster will reconvene for practice next week. The Wild will have to be careful not to lose the momentum they built, with 21 days between games. "Much the same as out of the lockout, its how can you get yourself game ready?" Yeo said. "Making sure that youre ready to execute and play at the pace that you need to play at, making sure that youre ready to battle at the level you need to, and making sure that the conditioning is at the level that you need it at." Nike Free Run 2 Nere . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Nike Free Run 2 Rosse . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. http://www.scarpesaldi.it/nike-air-max-thea.html . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Nike Air Max 90 Essential Bianche . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. Nike Free Run 3 Rosa . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday.BOSTON - Colby Rasmus wont play again this season, placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a left eye contusion. “It could have been ugly,” said manager John Gibbons. It certainly could have. Rasmus was injured taking his position in the first inning of Friday nights game. As he jogged toward centre field, Anthony Gose threw a warm up toss from his spot in right field. Problem was, Rasmus wasnt looking and the throw was spot on, hitting Rasmus in the face. He left the game immediately. “Preliminary x-rays, everything looks good,” said Gibbons. “They still want a few days, when the swelling and everything subsides, to get a few more looks.” The timing is cruel to Rasmus. He had just returned from a month on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. Rasmus hit a home run in each of the four games he played. He was due to lead off the second inning of Fridays game.dddddddddddd. Instead, Rasmus season ends with a slash line of .276/.338/.501. His .840 OPS is easily his best since his breakout 2010 season with the Cardinals (.859.) Rasmus hit 22 home runs in 118 games. His career best of 23, set in 2010 and 2012, was achieved in 144 and 151 games, respectively. The Blue Jays are down to four outfielders and will, at some point soon, go as many as three days without Rajai Davis. Davis wife is past due with the couples first child and so a trip to the paternity list is imminent. That would leave Anthony Gose, Moises Sierra and Kevin Pillar to man the three outfield spots. There also are other options. “Well make do,” said Gibbons. “Were at the end here, we dont have a whole lot of time left anyway but DeRosas played some outfield, Kawasaki could go out there. 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