Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra shared their optimism last weekend with Sports Headliners about the Wild’s playoffs prospects. With 12 regular season games remaining, Minnesota looks like a playoff team for just the second time in franchise history. The Wild are in seventh place in the eight team playoff race in the Western Conference and could move higher before season’s end.
“This is the best team in Wild history,” Gaborik said Saturday. “No doubt about that. There’s great talent, great players here. We’re playing as a team so that’s big.”
Gaborik’s linemate, Demitra, picked up two assists on Sunday to help the Wild defeat Colorado, a team trying to enter the elite eight of the playoffs. Demitra is in his first season with the Wild but likes this club. “I think we can compete against any team in the NHL,” he said.
Sunday’s win gave the Wild a 24-7-5 record when Gaborik is in the lineup. Overall the team is 39-24-7 with 85 points and been playing some of the best hockey in the NHL for two months. The explosive Gaborik missed 34 games with a groin injury and if anyone needed evidence of the 25-year-old’s importance to the team his absence was conclusive proof. Gaborik, although he’s played in only a little more than half the team’s games, has 23 goals, second on the Wild to Brian Rolston’s 27. Rolston has played in 31 more games.
Gaborik thinks he’s playing as well as ever during his six year career. “I feel very good on the ice, and then we’re clicking with Demitra there,” Gaborik said. “He’s a great player. He’s helping out and we’re helping each other out. We’re good out there.”
Demitra said his fellow Slovakian “can get open all the time and score goals.” He admires Gaborik’s “incredible speed” and ability to “score big goals.”
Demitra is tied for the team lead in assists with Rolston (56 each). Demitra assessed his performance modestly, saying it was “okay” and there are inconsistencies during an NHL season.
While goal tending and defense will be vital to any playoff success for the Wild, there’s no doubt Gaborik’s health now and in the future is a franchise focus. Groin injuries can be recurring and he has a plan for this summer.
“I need to address it over the summer and have a good training,” he said. “It’s going to be important so I try and be healthy the whole year. …”
At 25, Gaborik can anticipate even better performance in the future. “Hopefully I can get better and better,” he said. “Hopefully I can try to get healthy and play a whole year, and just improve every game so hopefully the peak is going to come.”