Goaltending Concerns in Minnesota

The Minnesota Wild's crease is filling up with more question marks than it is goaltenders, as both Niklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore are now hurting.  With both goalies hurting, the question marks start creeping out of the crease and into their results, which raises even more questions about their playoff hopes this season.

Going into Wednesday night's action, the Wild are only 2 points out of a playoff spot, so they are still in the hunt, going into a questionable period of time.

Backstrom missed Tuesday night's game against the Predators with some hip flexor issues and he will be sidelined for about a week with the issue. It's unclear as to when the Wild's number one goalie was actually hurt, but it does sound like this has been a lingering problem and it has now been deemed the time for a break for a few days.

Backstrom has appeared in 26 games for the Wild this season, amassing a record of 13-10-3, with 1 shutout, for 28 points in the pool this season.  He goes into Wednesday night's round of games ranked 110th in pool scoring, which is only slightly below where he finished the 2010 season, but you have to believe the Wild expect so much more out of their number one guy.

Theodore did start the Wild's last game against the Predators, allowing four goals and getting the hook in the game and now is suffering from some lower-body soreness, which has now dropped him down to being questionable for action in the coming days.

Theodore has been a capable back-up for the Wild this year, stepping into a good number of games already, appearing in 18 through Tuesday, picking up a record of 8-7-2, with 1 shutout, for 18 points, which is good for 263rd in the pool.  He has now switched from being a starter to a back-up, hence the drop in his point production for the hockey pool this season.

Backstrom, being the number one, was a lock to get picked up in the draft this year and he was taken 38th overall, in the 2nd round, by Peter this year and he has been nowhere near those kind of numbers this season.  Peter went into the night in 14th spot in the standings and has slowly fallen off the money pace this year, likely just hoping to get into the top 10 this season.

Theodore didn't even get selection sheet pool consideration, since the sheet was completed just before Josh Harding announced that he was unable to go all season, because of injury.  Theodore may work his way into the draft, through the second waiver draft, where he ranks 7th among available goalies in points.

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