ST. LOUIS — The winner of the Minnesota Wild's recent five-person competition for the final spot in the lineup won't play in the playoffs opener at 8:30 p.m. tonight against the St. Louis Blues.
Matt Cooke, who secured the left wing spot on the fourth line Monday, missed practice Tuesday because of soreness related to his sports hernia injury, which has lingered all season. He returned to practice Wednesday, but his condition will keep him out of the lineup for Game 1 against the Blues, coach Mike Yeo said.
"I don't see why Game 2 would not be a real strong possibility," Yeo said of Cooke returning.
But in the opener, Yeo will go with Ryan Carter, Sean Bergenheim, Erik Haula or Jordan Schroeder in Cooke's spot.
Carter played there in Tuesday's practice. At Wednesday's practice in St. Paul, Bergenheim manned that position.
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"It's kind of a luxury for us," Yeo said. "We have different players with different identities and one player can kind of change the dimension of the whole line. All those players have their strengths."
Cooke, who has prided himself on a playing a brand of hockey that is well-suited for the playoffs, was adamant that he's ready to play, even if the coaches keep him out of Game 1.
He's played in more Stanley Cup playoff games (103) than any other Wild player and is one of two on the team — along with Carter — who has won the Stanley Cup.
"I'm available," Cooke said. "At the end of the day, it's the coach's decision. If he calls my number to play, I'll play."
Carter and Bergenheim are the most likely replacements for Game 1, though Yeo offered no clues to his decision Wednesday, perhaps a bit of gamesmanship directed at the Blues, who waited until Wednesday to announce their starting goalie.
Carter was a mainstay in the lineup until an upper-body injury in February sidelined him for two months.
The Wild added Bergenheim to the roster in a late-February trade in part because of his playoff success; he has 17 points in 23 career postseason games.
"I want to play in the playoffs and help the team," Bergenheim said. "If I'm not, then I'm just going to keep on working every day and wait for my opportunity. ... (Playoffs are) the most fun I've had playing ice hockey. It is the playoffs. I enjoy it, for sure. I think I've had success before and partly it is because of the style I play."
