Predicting it will be a “whale of a series,” an NHL insider told Sports Headliners on Monday that the Minnesota Wild-Colorado Avalanche seven game playoff could be decided by Peter Forsberg.  The source, who requested his name not be used, said a healthy Forsberg “tips” the series toward Colorado. “If Colorado wins it will be because Forsberg has a great series,” he said.

Forsberg, 34, has a history of injuries and although he’s expected to play in tonight’s opening game at Xcel Energy Center, that doesn’t guarantee he will be healthy for the entire series.  “He makes everyone around him better,” the source said.

Describing him as “such a force,” the insider said Forsberg combines with Joe Sakic, 38, to give Colorado a big time offense.  Forsberg was a free agent for most of the 2007-08 season and played just 17 games with the Avs.  He had 10 assists in his last four games of the season.  Because of hernia surgery, Sakic was on the injured reserve list much of the season, playing in 44 games with 13 goals, 27 assists and 40 points.

The NHL source, a veteran evaluator of talent, said Colorado “may have a little more firepower” than the Wild.  Asked about a Minnesota weakness, he said the Wild don’t have “as much scoring depth as some teams.”

He also said Marian Gaborik ranks with the top five or 10 offensive players in the NHL and praised him for scoring “big goals.”  He wonders, though, who will score for the Wild if Gaborik, Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston don’t provide the offense.

The source described the Wild, who won its first Northwest Division title this season, as the best team in franchise history.  In addition to veterans like Gaborik, Demitra and Rolston, he likes this Wild team, too, because of improved young players Brent Burns, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikko Koivu.  The team has become physical and “nasty” with enforcers including Chris Simon, according to the source.

Then, too, the Wild have his respect because of goalie Niklas Backstrom.  He said Backstrom at times during the 2006-07 season played like the “best goalie” in the NHL and now “looks like himself again.”

The NHL insider likes Colorado’s goalie, Jose Theodore, too.  His stats include a 2.44 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.  Backstrom’s numbers: 2.31 and .920.

In the conservative, defensive style of the playoffs the outcome often is decided by goaltending.  The source expects that style to dominate in the Wild-Avs series, partly because Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire is an advocate of controlled play.

Although the Wild will have home ice advantage in the series against the Avs who finished second in the Northwest Division, the scout doesn’t think it’s “crucial” that Minnesota win all its games at Xcel Energy Center.  He said home ice usually isn’t that important in the NHL.  An exception, though, would be the Wild playing at Calgary where they are 3-15-4 in franchise history. “That’s going to haunt you,” the source said.

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Jim Lehman knows how to put a smile on Larry Mize’s face.  All he needs to do is  mention Mize’s 1987 Masters Tournament championship.

Lehman is a vice president with the SFX Golf office in suburban Minneapolis and handles business affairs for Mize.  He does the same for his brother Tom Lehman and along with SFX’s Alissa Herron also works with Tim Herron.  Both Tom and Tim, of course, are Minnesota natives and rank with the state’s best golfers ever.  Alissa is Tim’s sister.

Jim said on Tuesday he will wait until later this week to decide whether to travel to his 14^th consecutive Masters.  Mize is his only client in the tournament this weekend because Tom and Herron didn’t qualify.  He will wait to see how Mize is playing before making a decision.

Mize, a 49-year-old Augusta native, made a famous chip shot at the 1987 Masters to beat Greg Norman, a pre-tournament favorite to win.  It was a signature shot and the biggest win of Mize’s career.  The championship meant an automatic invitation every year to return to Augusta.  “For Larry being a kid that grew up in Augusta, it’s a huge thrill for him to go back and play in his home town as a past champion,” Jim said.

Tom Lehman and Herron don’t have a past championship to guarantee an invite to the Masters.  What they can look forward to is the Verizon Heritage tournament next week in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Lehman, 49, tied for second in the 1994 Masters and has played in several Masters over the years.  Herron, 38, has played in fewer Masters but was among the top money earners in the 2005 tournament.

There are three primary criteria for Masters qualifying, according to Jim Lehman.  One is to finish among the top 30 money winners on the previous year’s tour.  Another is to be in the top 50 of the world rankings leading up to Augusta.  The third is to have a PGA tournament win since the previous year’s Masters.

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Derrick Harvey, defensive end from Florida, is a name frequently speculated on as the Vikings’ first round pick in the NFL’s college draft on April 26.  ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranks Harvey as the 11^th best player on its top 32 prospects list.  Louisville’s Brian Brohm, No. 29, and Michigan’s Chad Henne, No. 30, are two quarterbacks the Vikings might be hoping are still on the draft board when they pick at No. 47 on the second round. Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is rated No. 1 by Scouts Inc. (see the Draft Central page at www.espn.com).

The Vikings’ signing yesterday of free agent quarterback Gus Frerotte presumably means that if the team takes a quarterback in the draft, that player competes with Brooks Bollinger for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.  Frerotte, 36, is a 14-year NFL veteran seen as the No. 2 QB and mentor to Tarvaris Jackson who starts his third season with the team this summer.  Frerotte played in the 1996 Pro Bowl but has only started 82 career games including three last season for St. Louis.

Vikings vice president of sales and marketing Steve LaCroix reported via e-mail last week that season ticket renewals are over 80 percent.

Former Twin Torii Hunter, now with the Angels, leads the American League in home runs with four.

The Frozen Four starts tomorrow night (Thursday) in Denver (ESPN2) with Boston College playing North Dakota, followed by Michigan and Notre Dame. This is the third consecutive year the tournament has no Minnesota schools.  There are, however, Minnesotans to watch including four players with North Dakota, T.J. Oshie (Warroad), Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead), Michael Forney (Thief River Falls) and Landon Snider (Brainerd).

Carl Sneep (Brainerd) and Joe Adams (Breck School) play for Boston College.  Notre Dame’s roster includes Ryan Guentzel (Hill Murray), Garrett Regan (Hill Murray) and Mark Van Guilder (Roseville Area High School).

Minnesotans have no home town ties to the three finalists for the 2008 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey’s top player, but some may be pulling for Nathan Gerbe, junior forward from Boston College. The 5-foot-5, 165-pound Gerbe is one of the smallest players in college hockey but he’s frustrated defenses with his high-energy play, producing 30 goals and 30 assists in 41 games to rank second in the nation in scoring.  Gerbe played against the Gophers in the NCAA playoffs. The other Hobey Baker finalists are Ryan Jones, senior forward from Miami University, and Kevin Porter, senior forward from Michigan.  This award winner will be announced Friday from Denver and aired live on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. Minneapolis time.

St. Thomas will win a record sixth consecutive MIAC baseball championship if a preseason conference coaches’ poll released earlier this month is correct.  Coach Dennis Denning’s team includes eight returning starters, plus six of the top eight pitchers.  Among the standouts is catcher Matt Pexa, a preseason All-American.  Here’s the coaches’ predicted order of finish: 1. St. Thomas  2. St. Olaf  3. Saint John’s  4. Gustavus  5. Hamline  6. Augsburg  7. Concordia  8. Bethel  9. Macalester 10. Saint Mary’s  11. Carleton.

The Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation is hosting an online vote for fans to select a local non-profit organization to receive the foundation’s monthly grant of $10,000. Fans can log on to www.timberwolves.com through Monday, April 14 and cast their vote for one of five pre-selected charities: Bolder Options, Children’s Home Society and Family Services, PEACE Foundation, People Serving People, and YouthCARE.  More information about each organization can be found online at www.timberwolves.com.

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