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- Mar 1, 2002
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Who's the hottest team in the West? None other than the Minnesota Wild, 8-2 in their last 10 games. Currently in a tie for the NW division lead, Minnesota is looking like a team that could reach the playoffs for the first time in team history.
The man reason behind the surge is leading Rookie of the Year candidate Vesa Toskala. Vesa is 8-1 with 2 shutouts, 7th in the league in goals against with a 2.31 mark and 6th in save percentage at .910.
"We knew going into the year we had two quality guys in net in Vesa and Cloutier," said Wild GM Greg Dockus. "Dan struggled early and once we plugged Vesa in, we just happened to take off. I have no doubt that if Dan were to get back in there, he would step up to the challenge, but Vesa has been great. He's easily the Rookie of the Year so far."
The Vancouver Canucks were the Wilds' latest victim, falling 5-1. Last time out, a cheap elbow by Jim Dowd earned the Canuck a 5 game suspention. While Dowd is still out, the Wild played rugged defenseman Eric Cairns to make sure things stayed calm. Not only did the Wild have plenty of rook to stake, Cairns chipped in with a goal and was + 3 on the night.
The man reason behind the surge is leading Rookie of the Year candidate Vesa Toskala. Vesa is 8-1 with 2 shutouts, 7th in the league in goals against with a 2.31 mark and 6th in save percentage at .910.
"We knew going into the year we had two quality guys in net in Vesa and Cloutier," said Wild GM Greg Dockus. "Dan struggled early and once we plugged Vesa in, we just happened to take off. I have no doubt that if Dan were to get back in there, he would step up to the challenge, but Vesa has been great. He's easily the Rookie of the Year so far."
The Vancouver Canucks were the Wilds' latest victim, falling 5-1. Last time out, a cheap elbow by Jim Dowd earned the Canuck a 5 game suspention. While Dowd is still out, the Wild played rugged defenseman Eric Cairns to make sure things stayed calm. Not only did the Wild have plenty of rook to stake, Cairns chipped in with a goal and was + 3 on the night.