Theo Quote About His Injury

The Wild are on a 4-game road trip now, and at least José was able to go with them. Here's the word from Youngblood:

Goalie updates


Jose Theodore skated Monday, Niklas Backstrom pronounced himself ready to start and Anton Khudobin figures to get a start in one of the next two games.

That's the shorthand on the Wild's goaltender situation. All three were scheduled to accompany the team on the trip.

First, Theodore. He said he went about 85 percent during 20 minutes on the ice Monday and felt good; he has missed the past two games because of a hip injury. "We'll see how it reacts," he said. "I was actually really happy for the first day."

Backstrom, who injured his hip Dec. 31 against Nashville, was Khudobin's backup Sunday and said he was ready to play. During Monday's optional skate -- there were more coaches on the ice than players -- Backstrom took as many shots as he could.

"It's been a tough couple of weeks, I had some issues, but it's been good for a couple days now," Backstrom said.

Still, he might not play Tuesday. Richards said he will use different goalies in the back-to-back games against Edmonton and Calgary. Backstrom has good numbers overall vs. Edmonton but has struggled there. Against Calgary, though, Backstrom has been very good. Given Khudobin is coming off the shutout, Richards said he might get the call for a second game in a row.