ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Wilds 14-year existence has revolved mostly about mediocrity. The narrative has finally taken a turn for the better.There is more confidence. There are fewer concerns. Advancing deep into the playoffs and, dare that ultimate goal be voiced, challenging for the Stanley Cup have trumped past hopes of simply playing a few bonus games in April.Every year you feel good about your team, but its just a little different. You feel like theres unfinished business, owner Craig Leipold said.Last season was far from smooth. The Wild lost their sixth straight game on New Years Eve. Coach Mike Yeo was on tenuous footing with an expiring contract, though Leipold said in a recent interview he really wasnt on the bubble.But despite foot injuries to Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise that kept them out for a total of 32 games, the Wild were at their best when they were the most vulnerable. The biggest health problem was between the pipes, where four different goalies were called on to start 19 or more games. After Darcy Kuemper picked up the slack for Josh Harding, who had taken over for Niklas Backstrom, Ilya Bryzgalov was there down the stretch to fill in for Kuemper.So here they are with every key player back from the group that upset Central Division champion Colorado in the Western Conference quarterfinals and reached the second round for just the second time in franchise history. Theres also an important addition in left wing Thomas Vanek.Mikael Granlund, who will centre the first line with Parise and Jason Pominville, now has a full year of NHL experience. Two other 22-year-old forwards, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter, combined for 76 points last season. The speed of third-line centre Erik Haula, who is 23, was a revelation in the post-season with four goals in 13 games. Parise, Pominville, Vanek, Koivu, Matt Cooke and ironman defenceman Ryan Suter form a proven core of veterans.The pieces are in place. Yeo has a new deal. Now its up to them to fulfil that potential.Id have a hard time listing the teams that I know are better than we are, Leipold said. Theres probably a couple of them, but if we have a couple of our players step up like we hope we will this year that gap is going to get narrower.Here are some key nuggets to know about the Wild this season:GOAL SETTING: Harding is out indefinitely with a broken foot, leaving Backstrom and Kuemper to compete for time in the net. This is unquestionably the biggest issue to resolve, likely the hinge between status quo and a step forward in the playoffs. Thats one reason why Bryzgalov was invited to training camp on a tryout contract and the Wild have not ruled out keeping three goalies on the roster. I know its repetitive, but were just going to kind of evaluate every day, Yeo said. So I dont want to go in and say one guys got the edge over another right now.WINGMAN: The emergence of Granlund and Haula allowed the Wild to slide Coyle over to right wing, where hell start the season on a second line with Koivu and Vanek. Yeo declined to declare the move permanent, but the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Coyle has the presence and skills to make that a long-term fit if hes not needed again as a fill-in at centre.DUMBA ON Defence? Theres a top-six opening on defence, and prospects Matt Dumba and Christian Folin have been getting a long look during training camp. Dumba was the teams first-round draft pick in 2012. Nate Prosser was brought back this week via waiver claim for more depth.GRAND CENTRAL: The Wild pushed for realignment as much as any team in the league, desiring more road games in their own time zone to increase television ratings and more regional rivalries in their division to enhance ticket sales. In a classic be-careful-what-you-wish-for case, the Wild have found themselves in a brutally difficult division. They went 14-12-3 against the Central in 2013-14 and despite matching the second-highest point total in franchise history finished in fourth place. Only two of the 14 teams that missed the 2014 playoffs came from the Central, Nashville and Winnipeg.FAMILIAR FOE: The Wilds opener is at home against the Avalanche on Oct. 9 in a reprise of that epic seven-game series, and theres a rematch two days later in Denver. Authentic Kurtis Gabriel Jersey . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener. Authentic Ben Lovejoy Jersey . Both of Padakins goals came in the second period while Zane Jones added a single in the first period for Calgary (13-6-4). Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger finished with 30 saves for the shutout. http://www.cheapnhldevilsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-ken-daneyko-jersey . Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood tall with 41 saves between the pipes, but it was defenceman Ryan McDonagh who got the first star of the game as he had a goal and an assist and now has two goals and four assists for six points in two games. Authentic Ty Smith Jersey . The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to arrive in Boston in time for a workout on Tuesday afternoon. Much of Mondays discussion focused on Bostons lineup considerations as the series progresses, specifically when the venue shifts to St. Authentic Steven Santini Jersey .In the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte, German champion Bayern Munich remained third but Barcelona dropped from second to fourth during its trophyless 2014.In the 2013-2014 financial year, Real generated 549.ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues acquired Ryan Miller for moments such as these. Miller stopped 31 shots and kept the net empty in a shootout, too. He was precisely as advertised, a goalie that be a difference-maker when theres no room for mistakes. "Millsy standing on his head -- thats what we brought him here to do," forward T.J. Oshie said after the Blues outlasted the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 on Tuesday night and matched the franchise record with their 51st win. "There were some saves where you feel like youre about to put your head down because its going to go in the net, and he seems so calm and just sticks his pad out and saves it." Miller is 10-3-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .920 save percentage since coming in a trade with Buffalo. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk scored in the shootout for the Blues, who have 109 points -- one fewer than Boston for the top spot in the NHL. Theyre 9-3 in the shootout largely because of Oshie, whos an uncanny 9 for 12 after converting a backhand, and also put on quite a show at the Sochi Olympics. "Yeah, I knew he was good and I knew what to expect," Ray Emery said. "But he was real quick on that one." Miller earned his 29th career shutout and first in 101 games since March 21, 2012, against Montreal when he was with Buffalo. He made a skate save against Vincent Lecavalier and a glove save on Claude Giroux -- whos 5 for 10 -- in the shootout. Emery, the Flyers backup making just his third start since the beginning of March, earned his 16th career shutout and second this season. "He definitely won us a point tonight," Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. "In two weeks when the seasons over well see how big that point is." Miller was motivated after giving up four goals in a loss to Dallas on Saturday night, plus the Flyers are a familiar foe from his seasons in Buffalo. Hes 14-13-2 againnst the Flyers and this was his first shutout against them.dddddddddddd "It was a fun night," Miller said. "When the pucks are hitting you, its a lot of fun." It was the third 1-0 shootout victory in Blues history and first since Feb. 1, 2008, against Anaheim. One of Millers best saves came with 1:30 to go in overtime when he stretched out and denied Jakub Voraceks bid to slide the puck under his pads. "At this point in my career, Im just trying to be really calm about everything," Miller said. "No sense letting things get off the rails and panicking too much." Both teams killed penalties in the final five minutes of regulation, with a high-sticking call to Giroux stretching into the first 36 seconds of overtime for Philadelphia. St. Louis penalty killers have allowed three goals on 36 chances the past 12 home games. The Flyers played in St. Louis for the first time since the 2010-11 opener. Miller foiled two breakaways in the opening minutes, one created when defencemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk collided. He made an outstanding left pad save on Michael Raffl to thwart a 2-on-1 break early in the second period. Two Blues hit the goalpost in the second period, Jaden Schwartz in the opening minute and Pietrangelo in the final minute. Notes: Flyers D Kimmo Timonen did not make the trip after taking a puck to the chin. Alex Gustafsson played for the first time since Feb. 27. ... The Blues tricked a fan between the second and third periods who was blindfolded at centre ice and then shot several yards wide of the net, telling him hed won $15,000. The fan did a celebratory belly flop on the ice before being told hed been duped. ... The Blues last 0-0 regulation game was March 22, 2012, at Los Angeles, a 1-0 shootout loss. ... The Flyers have been shut out four times. ... The Blues also won 51 games in 1999-2000, when they won the Presidents Trophy. 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