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ST. PAUL Erik Condra Jersey Womens , Minn. (AP) — the Minnesota Wild’s streak of six straight postseason appearances took a hit when captain Mikko Koivu tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee .For the 35-year-old Koivu, who has never advanced past the Western Conference semifinals and has just a 16-39 record with the Wild in the playoffs, this severe late-career injury was a most unwelcome development even for a determined, intense player like him.For the Wild, the absence of their second-line center and best defensive forward will be impossible to cover up.For general manager Paul Fenton it created an unexpected complication to an already unclear picture about how to approach the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 25. Is this a postseason-caliber team, with the opportunity to make some noise in a tournament that’s one of the most unpredictable in sports? Or are the Wild bound for mid-April vacations and a higher-than-usual draft pick? Throughout his first season on the job, well, Fenton has acknowledged his own uncertainty.Should he try to buy and bring in a veteran center for the final push? Or start selling to restock the prospect pool? Stay tuned was Fenton’s answer to that question on Thursday morning, before the Wild hosted Edmonton.“I’m going to watch them play here a little bit. I actually have meetings with our staff to talk about where we are and how we are going forward here,” Fenton said. “I’m not trying to be mysterious. You guys watch our team as much and you look at the standings. Everybody is in it. It isn’t like we can say ‘Yes Carl Soderberg Jersey ,’ or ‘No,’ or ‘You’re definitely in,’ or ‘You’re definitely out.’ It’s going to be a dogfight right to the end.”The Wild entered play Thursday in fourth place in the Central Division and in control of the first wild card spot, with one game in hand and a three-point lead on Vancouver. They haven’t produced a winning streak longer than three games since a five-game run that ended on Oct. 29, and in the first three games this month out of their bye week they snagged just two of six points.“It’s an opportunity for somebody else to step up and to make their mark,” Fenton said.The recently acquired Victor Rask will move up one line. Joel Eriksson Ek, who was recalled from the AHL after Koivu was hurt at Buffalo on Tuesday night, also will be heavily relied on.“We’re really going to miss Mikko, because he might be the best player this franchise has ever seen,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “But if you sit and pout and go, ‘Woe is me Gabriel Landeskog Jersey Kids ,’ you’re going to be all done.”Koivu, who will have surgery Friday, did not speak to reporters. Fenton declined to speculate on his readiness for training camp in September, but the typical recovery timeline for an ACL would put his availability for the 2019-20 season opener in doubt. That’s the final year on Koivu’s contract, with a $5.5 million salary cap hit.In the meantime, his defense will unquestionably be missed the most.“That’s my favorite part of his game,” goalie Devan Dubnyk said.Koivu missed just three or fewer games in eight of his first 13 seasons in the NHL. This one will be his career low for a non-lockout schedule.“I’m sure there’s a lot of teams in the league that play against this team that are thinking that, ‘Finally, we don’t have to play against that weight and size that he brings to the game,’ because he’s a very competitive guy,” Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said. “I’ve seen him wear down a lot of good centers.” ST. PAUL http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-j.t.-compher-jersey , Minn. (AP) — Ryan Donato’s bid to tie the game caromed off the crossbar, and the Minnesota Wild were stuck with another agonizing defeat.Juuse Saros made 29 saves for his third shutout of the season and Ryan Johansen scored a short-handed goal as the Nashville Predators beat the Wild 1-0 Monday night.With 1:30 to play and an extra skater on the ice, Donato found himself 1-on-1 with Saros in the left faceoff circle. His wrist shot beat the goalie but hit the crossbar, leaving Donato inches from scoring the game-tying goal.“That sort of epitomizes the way it was going, and the season,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Getting chances to score and not burying them.”Minnesota is 2-7-1 in its last 10 games and 2-8-4 in its last 14 home games. The Wild, who remain two points out of the last playoff spot in the West with five games to play, have scored just four goals in their last four games.“This is the most pivotal time of the year for us, and we can’t have games where the pucks just don’t find a way into the net,” Donato said. “You’ve got to find a way to force one in. We only needed one and we didn’t do that.”Meanwhile, the Predators clinched a spot in the Western Conference playoffs with the win. They are in second place in the Central Division Youth Matt Nieto Jersey , two points behind Winnipeg. It’s the fifth playoff appearance in coach Peter Laviolette’s five years with the Predators.“It’s a credit to the guys in the room,” Laviolette said. “Everybody goes into the year with good intentions and everybody has a plan in mind, and I’m sure they’re all including the playoffs. So it’s not an easy thing and should never be taken for granted. But our guys worked hard to get to this point.”The Wild put heavy pressure on Saros after pulling goalie Devan Dubnyk in the final 2½ minutes. Aside from Donato’s crossbar, Saros stood firm as Eric Staal deflected Donato’s centering pass into the crease and made three other saves down the stretch.“There’s a lot of players in front when the other team pulls the goalie,” Saros said, “so I try to find the puck and hope that the guys score on the other end.”Minnesota’s power play came up empty on three opportunities and gave up the game’s only goal as Johansen scored his 12th goal of the season short-handed, just 4:32 into the first period.With Craig Smith in the box for tripping, Viktor Arvidsson led a 3-on-2 Predators rush, dropping the puck for Johansen just over the Minnesota blue line. Johansen skated to the high slot and his wrist shot beat Dubnyk, who stopped 18 of 19 shots for Minnesota.“Getting the lead is always very important. We know that just from numbers, that first goal Mikko Rantanen Jersey , what it can do in games,” Johansen said. “I had a bunch of time there in the middle of the ice. Good to see one go in.”Now, the Predators can concentrate on jockeying for postseason position the rest of the season while the Wild have to fight for their playoff lives.“It is a helpless position. There’s not much we can do about it. Again, the dominos have got to fall in the right area,” Boudreau said. “As long as there’s a breath in our body and we have an opportunity, we’re going to go out and try to play like we did today.”NOTES: Minnesota played its second straight game without F Zach Parise (lower-body injury). … Nashville forward Rem Pitlick made his NHL debut on Monday. He recently finished a three-year career at the University of Minnesota. Pitlick is the son of former Senators and Panthers defenseman Lance Pitlick. … The Predators swept back-to-back games against the Wild in early March, both in shootouts.UP NEXTPredators: At Pittsburgh on Friday.Wild: At Vegas on Friday.