Niklas Backstrom will be reevaluated on Wednesday after leaving Tuesday night's game in the first period with an apparent lower-body injury. The back of his right leg appeared to slam hard against the goal post after he was crashed into by Nashville's Eric Nystrom. Backstrom didn't return and he was seen limping after the game. The Wild host Winnipeg on Thursday and if Backstrom isn't available then Josh Harding will be counted upon again to fill in for him.

Niklas Backstrom left Tuesday night's game 11:14 into the first period after being pushed hard into the post. Backstrom allowed two goals on five shots in his brief start. Backup Josh Harding came into the game in relief.

Niklas Backstrom will play between the pipes on Tuesday. Backstrom has a 2.77 GAA and .875 save percentage in two games this season. He's a solid, but not spectacular goaltender that isn't in any serious danger of losing his starting job.

Niklas Backstrom gave up four goals in Minnesota's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks on Saturday night. The netminder faced 30 shots. He was five seconds away from turning it into a game that would've been decided in the shootout. Minnesota has earned a point in each of its first two games.

Niklas Backstrom will get the start in goal for Minnesota Saturday. Backstrom gave up two goals on only 18 shots in the Wild's 3-2 shootout loss to the Kings Thursday and will try to get into the win column Saturday as the Wild take on Anaheim. Backstrom was 24-15-3 with a 2.48 GAA and a .909 save percentage last season.

Niklas Backstrom was beaten twice on 18 shots as the Wild were defeated by Los Angeles 3-2 in a shootout Thursday night. Backstrom was merely adequate in this game, as his defines limited the Kings to a fairly low shot total through 65 minutes of play. Despite the loss, the Minnesota goaltender should get as large a workload as he can handle this season.

Niklas Backstrom turned aside 33 of 34 shots Wednesday as the Wild outlasted St. Louis by a score of 3-1. Matt Cooke, Charlie Coyle and Torrey Mitchell were the goal scorers for Minnesota while Jaden Schwartz registered the only marker for the Blues. The goaltending duties for St. Louis were split between platoon-mates Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott..

Niklas Backstrom has been working out on the ice since June, according to beat writer Michael Russo. Backstrom underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia he suffered in pregame warmups before Game 1 of the Wild's first-round playoff series. Coach Michael Yeo said the Wild have to do a better job of parsing out Backstrom's workload this season. While fewer games might limit Backstrom's potential win total, the added benefit he'll get from some extra rest could make his overall numbers stronger.

Minnesota coach Mike Yeo says he and his staff will need to do a better job next season of not overusing goaltender Niklas Backstrom in the Wild net. "Last year, we were kind of forced into a situation where we played him a ton," Yeo said of Backstrom. "He was a warrior for us and did an unbelievable job. Certainly, we can sit here and say maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt before Game 1 of the playoffs if we had an opportunity to give him a little bit more rest. But [he] has been feeling good and he's excited about the season. I know he wants to play more games next year, but we really are going to go in without a plan per se and just make sure we're just sort of evaluating it every day. We've got two capable goalies and we know [he] needs to get his games to be on top, but we also have to make sure that we're monitoring his rest and that we're giving him the best chance to be at his best every night."

Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher admitted re-signing goalie Niklas Backstrom was the team's only option. The Wild signed Backstrom to a three-year, $10.25 million deal Monday, ensuring their starting goalie will be in place for the immediate future. The contract came a day after the Kings traded 25-year-old Jonathan Bernier to the Maple Leafs and allowed Fletcher to preserve some cap space instead of having to chase a big-name or high-priced replacement. "It's a win-win," Fletcher said. "There really never was another option. You have to say there is, so you have some leverage. But clearly he was our first choice."