Wild's Yeo gives rest to the weary

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - The mall in downtown Edmonton was filled to the brim with Wild players Wednesday afternoon.

Some stood in line at Tim Horton's for coffee and a muffin. Others went to Jugo Juice for a Raspberry Rush with wheatgrass.

You can bet Mike Yeo is hoping these magic potions will rejuvenate his tired, banged-up, slumping hockey team.

After back-to-back losses in Vancouver and Calgary, the Wild coach scrapped practice Wednesday and gave his players the day off.

With the Wild looking to end an 0-3-2 skid Thursday night in Edmonton, Yeo's objective was for some of his key players -- who have taken on extra minutes with Mikko Koivu, Guillaume Latendresse and Devin Setoguchi injured -- to recharge the batteries.

"The thing is, I felt like a lot of our key guys looked a little bit tired," Yeo said after Tuesday's 2-1 loss at Calgary. "It's understandable. We have so many guys out, we're taxing these guys pretty hard, the amount of travel we had, the amount of time we've been on the road this whole month, really."

Koivu might miss his fourth consecutive game Thursday. He was placed on injured reserve because of a leg injury, so the Wild could recall former Gopher Jeff Taffe from the AHL's Houston Aeros. Taffe had two assists, four shots and was plus-3 in two games earlier this month.

Because injured reserve is retroactive to the time of injury (in Koivu's case, Dec. 14), Koivu can be activated Thursday if he feels he can play against the Oilers. If that occurs, a player will have to be reassigned.

But as Yeo said, "We can't sit around and wait for that. We have a job to do regardless."

The Wild is hampered by slumping forwards -- most notably Dany Heatley and Matt Cullen. Heatley, a two-time 50-goal scorer, has one goal in eight games and is on pace for 21 goals, which would be his worst offensive season. Cullen has scored one goal in the past 16 games.

Heatley has been getting chances, but with so many injuries, the pressure is on the longtime sniper to start filling the net. The Wild has scored twice in the past three games.

Yeo jumped to Heatley's defense after Tuesday's game, saying, "That's unfair on Dany. He just has to go out and play well. He can't control if the goalie makes a great save. He can't.

Heatley said, "I always put pressure on myself, whether guys are injured or not. Obviously you're not going to win many games scoring one goal, but we haven't been the highest-scoring team all season long and we've been finding ways to win.

"In Edmonton, we have to go back to our game plan, do what we do well, get pucks to the net and hopefully they go in."

Cal Clutterbuck also has looked tired, as has Kyle Brodziak, who has had to drag himself to the bench after some grueling shifts the past two games.

"I've used him a lot. That's what happens when guys get out," Yeo said. "I don't know if his line has played the same game. They've got to get back to their type of game."

Notes • Because the Wild recalled Taffe, it's expected that struggling forward Colton Gillies will be scratched for a second game in a row.