Niklas Backstrom picked up a 3-2 shootout win against Winnipeg as a surprise starter for the Minnesota Wild. Josh Harding was supposed to get the nod, but he wasn't able to play after getting hurt during the pregame warmup. Backstrom, who was playing in his first game since returning from a concussion, turned aside 37 shots and three of four in the shootout to raise his record to 2-1-2 on the year. His .892 save percentage and 3.03 GAA are troubling, but more efforts like this will improve those numbers if Harding is out for a while.