Say What - 'Put My Best Foot Forward'

Coach Ryan Huska on Jacob Markstrom’s injury:

“We have good goaltending. Jacob's injury just opens the door for opportunity for both Danny and Dustin. So, we're not concerned in that regard.

“It goes back to having trust in the guys we have in the organization. It's almost like you just shift the names as to how you have it pencilled out. We know both guys are going to give us chances to win, so we're comfortable with that for sure.”

On how the starts will be split between Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf:

“That will depend how it goes. That stuff's kind of up in the air. But the great thing about Jacob's injury is that it's not as bad as it seemed. Week to week, you could see him in one week. Could be shortly thereafter. It's not something that is anything we're expecting to be long term, which is a great thing.”

On Wolf being around the team, no matter how much he plays:

“I think it's always great for a young guy to be around no matter what the situation is, whether you're playing or not. I think some guys over the years - and you can look at Ras (Rasmus Andersson) as an example - he was brought up as a younger guy and I think he played one game in about a month's time. But he had an opportunity to spend time with the players to see how they did things on a daily basis. For Wolfy, I look at it the same way. The difference is, he'll play. It's a good opportunity to have a chance to work with Jason all time. It's a good opportunity to see what Vladdy (Dan Vladar) does at the other end of the rink, and it's a good opportunity to be around Jacob as well. It's not Jacob's not going to be in the room, so it's a good thing for sure.”

Wolf on getting the call to the big club:

“Terrible thing to happen to Marky yesterday, but a good opportunity for myself to hopefully play some games and be around this atmosphere with the guys; try to get myself a little more (comfortable with) it.

“I've gotten to know the guys a little bit better. I've already been up for a week this year, so it's been good to be in this locker-room and be able to put my best foot forward every day and try to help this team win.”

On his one NHL start earlier this season in Ottawa:

“The result didn't come (a 4-1 loss in Ottawa), but I was pretty happy with how I played. That night, it was a building block, for sure. You're not going to win every night, but you want to give your team the best opportunity to win and if you can do that, I'm doing my job.”

On the differences between the AHL and NHL:

“Guys are so good in this league. It's different than the American League. Guys are so much better at tipping pucks, getting in your face and getting in your eyes and making it difficult to see things. It makes my job a little harder, so I've got to make sure I'm fighting through it and doing everything I can to see pucks. I know the guys in front of me are going to do everything they can to help.”

Rasmus Andersson on the key to success tonight vs. Minnesota:

“Better first periods. I think we've been trailing in 10 of our last 12. Just a better start, get the first goal and play with the lead.”

On his pairing with MacKenzie Weegar:

“He's really good. We kind of want to play similar, me and him. We both want to join the rush and get pucks towards the net and I think, for him, being on that left side, he gets a lot of one-T looks in the o-zone and he has a few muffins that go in the net lately too. He's had a really strong start and now we've just got to keep building.”

Mikael Backlund on Markstrom’s injury:

“We feel bad for him. It's always tough when guys get injured and he's disappointed. But Vladdy, Wolfy have got to rally and step up. They've both played well when they've had their chances this year. But we're definitely going to miss Marky. He's a big leader in this room.”

On looking to get back in the win column tonight against the Wild:

“We’ve talked about it now for a week. We need a better start. It's a big key. We talked about it this morning, too. Minnesota's been really good the last few games in the first period, so we have to have a better start than we had last game. ... Get that pace back, play fast with the puck and check really hard when we don't have the puck.”