ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild's playoff hopes are dead, but the injuries that ruined the team's season are starting to heal.
No. 1 goaltender Niklas Backstom, who suffered a lower-body injury March 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, will make his first start since the injury Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. Backstrom's return comes a week after Wild captain Mikko Koivu returned from an extended absence.
Both Josh Harding and Matt Hackett have done an excellent job in Backstom's absence, but Wild coach Mike Yeo is happy to have Backstrom back in the net. Backstrom is 17-17-6 with a 2.44 goals-against average this season.
"Like a lot of guys, he has spent a lot of time out of the lineup," Yeo said of the 34-year-old goaltender. "It is tough to put into words how important he is to our team."
Defeseman Justin Falk, who has missed nine games because of a lower-body injury, also will return Thursday night. Falk's return will make Kurtis Foster, whom the team acquired from the New Jersey Devils just before the trade deadline, a healthy scratch for the sixth time in the past 10 games.
