Niklas Backstrom stopped 25 shots for the Wild in his first game since sustaining a groin injury March 1 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Backstrom was between the pipes for the first time in nearly a month tonight. The Finnish netminder has dealt with a groin injury but looked good against the Panthers. Despite the free fall the Wild have taken since being the top team in the league early in the year, Backstrom has been their anchor.