The firing of Columbus coach Todd Richards won't directly impact the Wild's preparation for Thursday's game against the Blue Jackets. The Wild, several players said, has its own issues to address as it plays its second game of the season at Xcel Energy Center.
Still, the players anticipate the Blue Jackets will be energized in their first game under new coach John Tortorella. Richards — a Crystal native who coached the Wild for two seasons before he was fired in 2011 — was let go Wednesday, a victim of his team's 0-7 start. The hard-charging Tortorella takes over just as the Blue Jackets embark on a four-game road trip, trying to stanch the bleeding from the worst start in franchise history.
Wild coach Mike Yeo wants to see his team improve its pace and pressure Thursday as it resumes play after Sunday's 4-1 defeat in Anaheim, its first regulation loss of the season. Despite the Blue Jackets' woeful record, he doesn't expect it to be easy.
"It's a pretty quick turnaround, so I don't expect [Columbus] to go out there and try to change everything in a day,'' Yeo said. "What I would say is, it's quite obvious what their motivation level is going to be, and what we can expect from them as far as going out there and laying it on the line.
"We know we're in for a good challenge, but the focus is the same for us. It's on ourselves.''
With three days off between games, the Wild spent two rigorous practice sessions working to sharpen its pace, its puck support and its execution. All of its healthy players were on the ice Wednesday, including winger Nino Niederreiter, who left Tuesday's practice early because of muscle tightness. Center Tyler Graovac, who is recovering from a lower-body injury, skated on his own Wednesday but is not expected to play until next week at the earliest.
Columbus is the only NHL team without a victory this season. That spelled the end for Richards, who compiled a record of 127-112-21 during a tenure that began in January 2012. The winningest coach in franchise history, he led the Blue Jackets to a playoff berth in 2014, when the team won 43 games during its best season since its founding in 2000.
The Blue Jackets started poorly last season, too, but picked up steam and finished on a 15-1-1 roll. That heightened expectations this season. Instead, Columbus has tied the NHL expansion-era record for most regulation losses at the start of a season, with its 0-7 mark second only to the New York Rangers' 0-11 start in 1943-44.
