Stanson Town » s best in the NHL. He had a 2.29 goals-against average

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild traded for goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov on Tuesday in conjunction with their decision to shut down ailing veteran Niklas Backstrom. The Wild sent a fourth-round draft pick to Edmonton to complete the deal one day before the NHL trade deadline. General manager Chuck Fletcher said the team must assume that neither Backstrom nor Josh Harding will be healthy enough to mind the net again this season. Rookie Darcy Kuemper has been stellar in their absence, but with a finishing stretch of 20 games in 37 days starting Saturday, hes not enough. "We have a lot of work ahead of us to get where we want to get to, but clearly having two quality goaltenders was very important," Fletcher said. Kuemper has started 15 straight games, so Bryzgalov is more for insurance, though hes certain to have his time, too. The Wild are 14-4-2 in 2014 and in firm control of the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff race. "I will do my job as best I can. Making the decisions on who is supposed to play is not my job," Bryzgalov said on a conference call. He added: "I look at this as a great opportunity for me to play, and yeah its like a new challenge." Backstrom has been bothered by injuries all season, most notably to his midsection that will probably prompt surgery, and the 36-year-old has a career-worst 3.02 goals-against average over 21 games. Fletcher told him Monday of their preference to hold him out until training camp. "His pain threshold is tremendous," Fletcher said. "Hes a competitive guy and I know hes really disappointed because the team has taken a really strong step the last couple months. Hes been through some of the lean times, and I know he wants to be a part of it but our goal for Nik is to get him healthy." Harding was superb early in the season, but the 2013 Masterton Trophy winner -- for sportsmanship, dedication and perseverance -- has not played at all in 2014 due to illness related to medication for multiple sclerosis. With not much more than a month left in the regular season and Harding not yet ready to resume skating, Fletcher said hes probably finished until the fall, too. The search for a replacement intensified in the last couple of days. Martin Brodeur and Jaroslav Halak also were potentially available via trade, but their price was far higher than what it took to nab Bryzgalov. The 33-year-old Russian has a 5-8-5 record in 20 games for the Oilers this season, with an ugly 3.01 goals-against average. Hes on an expiring contract, a requirement for the Wild. This is a rental, plain and simple. Thats largely because Kuemper has tied a Wild rookie record with 11 wins and since Jan. 7 has a 1.70 GAA with two shutouts and a .939 save percentage. "Weve always felt hed be a very good No. 1 goalie down the road, and we just didnt realize down the road would mean this January and February," Fletcher said. The pick sent to Edmonton was originally acquired last year from Buffalo in the trade that brought first-line right wing Jason Pominville to Minnesota. Bryzgalov has 38 games of playoff experience over five postseasons with Anaheim, Phoenix and Philadelphia, including three stellar starts against the Wild in the Western Conference quarterfinals in 2007. He stopped 73 of 77 shots in the first three games of that series, all Ducks victories. Bryzgalov struggled in defeat in the next game, Jean-Sebastien Giguere replaced him thereafter and the Ducks went on to win the Stanley Cup. Bryzgalovs career record is 213-157-50, including a 42-20-6 mark for the Coyotes during the 2009-10 season, his best in the NHL. He had a 2.29 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. Then came his ill-fated time in Philadelphia. The Flyers signed him to a $51 million, nine-year contract in 2011 and used a salary-cap compliance buyout to release him last June, just two seasons into the megadeal. General manager Paul Holmgren said then the contract was "a costly mistake." Bryzgalov didnt sign with the Oilers until last November. After signing goalie Ben Scrivens to a two-year contract extension last week, the Oilers took their first step away from Bryzgalov. Then they acquired goalie Viktor Fasth from Anaheim on Tuesday for a fifth-round draft pick this summer and a third-round selection in 2015. Mario Gotze Jersey . - Suspended Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon has voluntarily checked into a treatment facility and seems to be doing well. Raphael Guerreiro Jersey . 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Goldeyes third baseman Ryan Pineda drove in three runs and the pitching staff didnt allow an earned run, as Winnipeg downed Kansas City 6-3 in American Association exhibition action at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas.(SportsNetwork.com) - Tonight will go a long way in determining the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Phoenix Coyotes to town while the Detroit Red Wings are in Buffalo to face the Sabres. Detroit and Columbus are currently four and three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively, in the Easts wild card race. The Maple Leafs are also in action tonight against the Lightning. Columbus is currently in postseason position as it holds the second of the Eastern Conferences two wild card spots with 87 points through 78 games. Columbus also is only two points behind Philadelphia for the third of the Metropolitan Divisions three automatic bids to the playoffs. The Flyers, who also have four games left, are visiting the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets picked up a valuable two points in their last trip to the ice, while Phoenix is currently mired in a costly four-game losing streak. Columbus, which is hosting its final game of the regular season tonight, used a potent power play on Sunday to bounce back from a deflating loss in its previous outing. The Blue Jackets converted on 3-of-6 opportunities with the man advantage in a 4-0 home win over the New York Islanders, two days after losing Fridays 4-3 regulation decision against visiting Chicago. Columbus failed to gain a point on Friday after the Blackhawks scored the winning goal in the waning seconds of regulation. Boone Jenner, Jack Johnson and Ryan Murray each record power-play goals on Sunday, while Mark Letestu added an even strength tally. Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves in his career-high 29th win of the season. "This is a huge win," Columbus forward Matt Calvert said. "We needed these two points badly. Our power play came up big and (Bobrovsky) was great." The Blue Jackets are 21-15-4 as the home team this season and had lost three straight (0-2-1) at Nationwide Arena before Sundays victory. Columbus willl visit Dallas, Tampa Bay and Florida to complete its regular-season slate.dddddddddddd Columbus notched a 2-0 win at Phoenix on Jan. 2, giving the Blue Jackets two straight wins in this series following a three-game slide versus the Coyotes. Phoenix has lost four in a row in Columbus, where it hasnt won since a 4-3 regulation victory on Jan. 11, 2011. The Red Wings hope to return to the win column on Tuesday when the playoff-hopeful club visits the Buffalo Sabres for a clash at First Niagara Center. Detroit is in position to secure its 23rd straight playoff berth, as it currently sits in the first of two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings, who last missed the postseason in 1990, are one point ahead of Columbus and four in front of New Jersey and Toronto. The Red Wings had won four straight before losing Saturdays 5-3 decision in Montreal. Detroit rallied from a 3-0 deficit to even the score in the third period, but the Canadiens recovered to win it in regulation. Detroit used third-period goals from Pavel Datsyuk, Justin Abdelkader and Niklas Kronwall to tie the contest, but Brian Gionta restored Montreals lead with 6:47 left and Alex Galchenyuk added an insurance tally a little over two minutes later. Kronwall also added an assist in the loss, while Johan Franzen notched a pair of helpers. Meanwhile, Jonas Gustavsson only stopped 21 of the 26 shots he faced. "The puck went in our net way too often. Obviously, you cant give up five on the road and expect to win," said Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. Detroit fell to 19-15-4 as the guest and is playing the middle portion of a three-game road trip tonight. The Red Wings will complete the swing Wednesday night at Pittsburgh. Tuesdays game marks an excellent chance for Detroit to get back on track, as the Red Wings have won seven straight and 10 of their last 11 games against Buffalo. The Sabres also have lost three in a row and six of their past seven home tests against Detroit. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys discount uswnt jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Wholesale Arsenal Jerseys Wholesale A.S. Roma Jerseys Wholesale Atletico Madrid Jerseys Wholesale Chelsea Jerseys Cheap Barcelona Jerseys Bayern Munich Jerseys For Sale Cheap Borussia Dortmund Jerseys Cheap Inter Milan Jerseys Juventus Jerseys From China Leicester City Jerseys For Sale Discount Liverpool Jerseys Wholesale Manchester City Jerseys Manchester United Jerseys For Sale Wholesale Paris Saint-Germain Jerseys Real Madrid Jerseys From China Cheap Sevilla Jerseys Authentic Tottenham Hotspur Jerseys ' ' '