Wednesday the team signed Elk River native and former Colorado College Tigers senior defenseman Nate Prosser to an entry-level contract.

The 6-foot-2-inch tall, 210-pound blueliner finished this season tied for third on the Tigers with 28 points (four goals and 24 assists). He led the Tigers in penalties with 29 and penalty minutes with 58. He finished his collegiate career with 12 goals, 52 assists, 74 penalties and 179 penalty minutes in 137 games.

Prior to joining the Tigers, he played for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League. He spent two full seasons with the Stampede recording three goals and 32 assists in 72 games. He led the Stampede to the Anderson Cup in 2005-06 while serving as the team’s captain.

While playing high school hockey for the Elk River Elks, he was a two-time all-conference selection and participated in two state tournaments.

Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the 23-year-old will stay with the Wild the remainder of the season to practice.

Russo also says that this may not be the last college free agent the Wild signs this offseason.

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Josh Harding won his third straight game with 34 saves. Before injuring his hip in early February, Harding was asserting himself as one of the best goaltenders in the Western Conference. Since returning from the injury, he has had solid games in three of his last four starts. It is unknown when Niklas Backstrom will return from a lower body injury and who will get the majority of the starts as the season comes to a close.

Andrew Ebbett led the Wild’s offense with his sixth career multiple-point game and first with the Wild. He got the Wild on the board with a deflection of a shot by Guillaume Latendresse past Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers in the first period and later added an assist on the insurance goal.

Since joining a line with Latendresse and Martin Havlat on March 3, Ebbett has been playing his best hockey with the Wild. He scored in back-to-back games last weekend for the first time in his career. He has three goals in the last four games. The trio has been the Wild’s top line.

The Oilers (21-42-7) tied the game with a deflection by Marc-Antoine Pouliot off a shot by Jason Strudwick into the net behind Harding at the 8:36 mark of the second period.

Antti Miettinen, Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette worked their magic with a passing play from Koivu to Brunette to Miettinen to take a 2-1 lead at the 17:56 mark.

The Oilers capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play that began at the end of the second period and ended when former Gopher Ryan Potulny fired a shot off a backdoor pass from Sam Gagner into the open net early in the third period. Potulny now has a career-high 15 goals on the season.

The Wild (34-29-6) improved to 19-0-2 when leading after two with two unanswered goals in the final period.

Chuck Kobasew was johnny on the spot to chip in a loose puck at the top of the crease for the eventual game-winning goal at the 4:37 mark of the third period. Kyle Brodziak’s pass glanced off an Oiler player before sliding to the open side of the net.

Martin Havlat recorded his 16th goal of the season to cap the scoring off a nice pass from Ebbett with 11:45 remaining in the game.

The Wild played dump and chase hockey over the final 10 minutes of the game that helped the Oilers hold a 20-4 edge in shots on goal for the period and 36-28 for the game.

No. 3 Star: Josh Harding. The Wild goaltender stopped 34-of-36 shots to earn the win.

No. 2 Star: Martin Havlat. The Wild wing recorded a goal and an assist.

No. 1 Star: Andrew Ebbett. The Wild center recorded a goal and an assist. He also contributed in the faceoff circle by winning 11-of-16 draws.

Wild forwards and defensemen statistics

Wild goaltender statistics

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The Minnesota Wild plays its second of three straight Tuesday home games against the Edmonton Oilers at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild (33-29-6) is coming off a 4-2 home win Sunday over the St. Louis Blues. The Oilers (21-41-7) are coming off a 5-3 road loss Monday to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Series

This is the fifth of six meetings between the two teams. The two teams have split the previous four meetings with the home team winning each game. The Oilers won the most recent game 2-1 in a shootout on March 5.

Injury Report

The Wild will be without Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion), Clayton Stoner (hernia), Shane Hnidy (leg), Niklas Backstrom (lower body), Brent Burns (hip) and Derek Boogaard (undisclosed). Owen Nolan (lower body) and Greg Zanon (lower body) are expected to play. Hnidy skated on his own and could return to practice soon. Stoner returned to practice today and could play as early as Thursday.

The Oilers will be without Nikolai Khabibulin (back), Sheldon Souray (hand), Ladislav Smid (neck), Ales Hemsky (shoulder), Ryan Stone (knee), Jean-Francois Jacques (back), Patrick O’Sullivan (hand) and Ryan Jones (torn MCL). Fernando Pisani (groin) did not play Monday, but is expected to play.

Roster Movement

The Wild made a few more transactions Tuesday when the team signed college free agent center Casey Wellman and called up Justin Falk from Houston. Both players are game-time decisions. If Wellman plays, he is listed as the center between Nolan and Robbie Earl on Wild’s official website. Falk’s status for the game will be determined by Zanon’s availability. Zanon briefly participated in the morning skate and is expected to play.

Oilers Player to Watch

Ryan Potulny. The former Gopher forward is eighth on the team in points with 24. Through 52 games this season, he set career-highs in games played, points, goals (14) and assists (10). In the March 5 game against the Wild, he recorded an assist and may have been the Oilers best player.

Guaranteed Scorer

Guillaume Latendresse. The forward scored the Wild’s only goal in the most recent meeting and is leading the team in goals with 25 goals, including four in the last five games. With 17 goals at the “X,” he probably will not reach Marian Gaborik’s team record of 28 goals in a season at home, but should have a better goal per game ratio in 11 fewer home games.

Final Score Prediction

Wild 5, Oilers 2. Josh Harding should become the fifth different goaltender to win a game in the season series. With a win, the Wild could tie the NHL’s longest home win streak by one team over another with its 13th straight. The Wild should face goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who was spectacular in the recent meeting. The Wild should bring its winning streak to three games, while the Oilers should lose its fifth straight. The Oilers expect Pisani to play. The Oilers official website is reporting that Mike Comrie, the same guy that scored its only regulation goal and the shootout winner against the Wild on March 5, would be scratched. The Oilers are looking at the future and Comrie may not be a part of it, but he gives it the best chance to win in most games.

Western Conference standings

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Wellman’s agent, George Bazos, told Russo that deal will be a two-year entry level contract worth $900,000 per year.

According to Russo, the 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound, righthanded shooting center will arrive in St. Paul Tuesday and could make his NHL debut that night against the Edmonton Oilers. He says, Wellman will be eligible to play and “IS NOT” going to play in Houston.

Wellman is the hottest commodity among free agent collegians right now. The UMass Minutemen were knocked out of the Hockey East playoffs by Boston College in a two-game sweep Friday and Saturday.

The Brentwood, Calif. native is second on the Minutemen with 45 points and is tied for sixth in the nation with 23 goals in 36 games as a sophomore. He recorded 11 goals and 22 assists in 39 games and was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team his freshman season.

The 22-year-old played two seasons for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League prior to joining UMass. While with the RoughRiders, he recorded 30 goals and 39 assists in 118 games during his USHL career.

The Wild is interested in other free agent collegians that have yet to complete their seasons. This may be just the beginning of Wild GM Chuck Fletcher’s upgrading of the team’s prospect list.

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The Minnesota Wild needed Harding to step up with Niklas Backstrom out with a lower body injury. He did just that with 36 saves, including a desperation glove save that kept the Wild ahead by two goals. It is his third straight win in St. Paul dating back to Feb. 12, 2009.

The Wild (33-29-6) got off to another good start with a three goal first period.

It did not take it long to get on the board with a redirection by Andrew Brunette between Blues goaltender Chris Mason’s legs just one minute and 54 seconds into the game. Mikko Koivu and Cam Barker assisted on the goal.

Koivu recorded his second point of the game with a power play goal at the 13:12 mark. He fired a loose puck in the slot between Mason’s legs after a shot by Martin Havlat at the point was inadvertantly blocked by Antti Miettinen. Havlat and Miettinen got the assists.

Guillaume Latendresse capped the first period scoring with a great passing play from Havlat at the 18:50 mark. Latendresse took a pass from Havlat in the slot and took the puck back across the top of the slot to slide it past Mason. Greg Zanon recorded the second assist.

Blues head coach Davis Payne switched goaltenders to Ty Conklin after one period. The move helped as the Wild were only able to score one more goal. Miettinen recorded the goal by redirecting a no-look, backhand pass from Koivu on the backdoor.

The Blues (32-27-9) took over the game with a 31-13 edge in shots on goal over the last two periods. It was able to do that because of four power play opportunities and a defensive mentality by the Wild.

The Blues were only able to capitalize on one of the second period power play opportunities when Patrik Berglund had the puck bounce off him into the open side of the net with six seconds remaining on the man advantage.

Paul Kariya capped the scoring with a wrist shot that found its way through traffic and past Harding.

The Blues entered the game as the NHL’s best penalty kill unit with an 86.3 percentage, including 87.1 percent on the road. It is also one of the best teams in the league on the road with 20 wins away from home, which is third behind San Jose and Nashville’s 21.

No. 3 Star: Andrew Brunette. The Wild wing recorded a goal and an assist.

No. 2 Star: Mikko Koivu. The Wild center recorded a goal and two assists.

No. 1 Star: Josh Harding. The Wild goaltender stopped 36 shots to record the win.

Wild forwards and defensemen statistics

Wild goaltender statistics

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The Minnesota Wild begins a two-game homestand Sunday against the St. Louis Blues at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild (32-29-6) is coming off a 3-2 road win over the Buffalo Sabres Friday. The Blues (32-26-9) are coming off a 5-1 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday.

The Series

This is the fourth and final meeting of the season for the two teams. The home team has won all three previous meetings. The Blues won first and third games, 3-1 and 1-0, respectively. The Wild won the second game 4-3.

Injury Report

For the Wild, Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion), Clayton Stoner (groin) and Shane Hnidy (leg) are out. Brent Burns (hip) and Niklas Backstrom (lower body) are questionable. For the Blues, Keith Tkachuk (finger surgery) is out.

Blues Player to Watch

Andy McDonald. The forward leads the Blues in goals (21) and points (44). He has six points in the last five games, including a one goal and three assist performance Saturday. He scored one of the Blues’ three goals in the Xcel Energy Center in December.

Guaranteed Scorer

Guillaume Latendresse. The wing is the Wild’s best offensive threat. He leads the team in goals with 24 and is fifth in points with 34. Only twice this season has he been shutout in consecutive games at the “X.” The last time the Wild played at home, the Panthers held the 22-year-old off the scoresheet.

Final Score Prediction

Blues 3, Wild 1. The Blues are one of, if not the, hottest teams in the NHL. It won seven of the last eight, including four-of-five since the Olympic break. The question is, which Wild team will show up? The Wild has done and seen it all since the Olympic break. It has won and lost while outplaying its opponent and won and lost while being outplayed. This is the second straight Sunday the Wild is playing at an earlier start time. The last time it didn’t go so well, by allowing the Calgary Flames to score the quickest goal by an opponent at the “X” from the start of the game. The Wild needs to be physical early to wear down the Blues, who are playing its second game in as many days.

Western Conference standings

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Josh Harding would not let that happen again Friday with a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena.

The Wild’s backup stopped 43-of-45 shots, including 14-of-16 in the third.

The Wild (32-29-6) took a 3-0 lead into the third period, but the Sabres proved why it is leading the Eastern Conference’s Northeast Division.

Former Gopher Thomas Vanek took his Sabres team-leading goal total to 22 with goals at the 3:42 and 18:02 marks of the final period. The first goal was a power play tap-in of a tic-tac-toe, cross-ice passing play from Jason Pominville to Derek Roy to Vanek in front of the net. The second goal was one-time shot off a pass from Pominville behind the net that bounced into the net off the skate of Nick Schultz as Harding was still looking off the other side of the net.

The Sabres (36-21-9) started its backup Patrick Lalime and had mixed results. He had a forgettable first period, in which a soft shot beat him and he turned the puck over behind the net that resulted in a goal. He bounced back with solid second and third periods, in which he robbed Cal Clutterbuck on a backdoor, short-handed attempt.

The Wild controlled the game early in the first period with two goals on 15 shots. Andrew Ebbett scored the first goal on the power play at the 3:02 mark with a soft wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that snuck its way under Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman and past Lalime. It was a notable goal for multiple reasons. First, it was the first time in Ebbett’s career he scored in back-to-back games. Also, it ties Ebbett’s career high of eight goals in a season that he set last season with the Anaheim Ducks. Thirdly, it is the first power play goal the Sabres allowed since Jan. 1.

Guillaume Latendresse extended the lead to 2-0 when he intercepted a pass by Lalime behind the net and spun around to shoot at the 10:11 mark. His shot hit Lalime on its way into the net for Latendresse’s team-leading 24th goal of the season.

Andrew Brunette scored the eventual game-winning goal with one minute and 25 seconds remaining in the second period. Brunette knocked a pass from Antti Miettinen out of the air into the goal for his 19th tally of the season.

No. 3 Star: Thomas Vanek. The Sabres wing scored two goals.

No. 2 Star: Andrew Brunette. The Wild wing scored the eventual game-winning goal.

No. 1 Star: Josh Harding. The Wild goaltender stopped 43 shots, including several very good saves. He also looked comfortable between the pipes.

Wild forwards and defensemen statistics

Wild goaltender statistics

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The Minnesota Wild finishes a two-game, two-day road trip against the Buffalo Sabres Friday at HSBC Arena.

The Wild (31-29-6) is coming off a 5-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Sabres (36-20-9) are coming off a 5-3 home win over the Dallas Stars.

The Series

This is the only meeting of the season between the two teams. Last season, the Sabres defeated the Wild 4-3 in overtime in the Xcel Energy Center. The Sabres scored 46 seconds apart late in the third period to force overtime and then scored 44 seconds into the extra session for the win.

Injury Report

For the Wild, Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion), Clayton Stoner (groin), Shane Hnidy (leg), Brent Burns (hip) and Niklas Backstrom (lower body) are out. Guillaume Latendresse (head) has been cleared to play and is expected to do so in Buffalo. For the Sabres, Drew Stafford (groin) is out and Paul Gaustad (right hand) is questionable.

Roster Movement

As the injuries pile up, the transactions become more prevalent. This time goaltender Wade Dubielewicz was recalled from Houston to backup Josh Harding.

Sabres Player to Watch

Thomas Vanek. The former Gopher star is the Sabres best offensive player with a team-leading 20 goals and is fourth in points with 42. He is trying to extend a three-game point streak Friday. He has two goals and one assist during the streak.

Guaranteed Scorer

Andrew Brunette. The Wild’s best line Thursday was the Mikko Koivu-Brunette-Antti Miettinen line. You can take your pick of the three to get on the score sheet Friday. My gut says Brunette will be able to find space on the power play and work his magic behind the net.

Final Score Prediction

Sabres 3, Wild 2. The Wild will not face U.S. Olympic goaltender Ryan Miller. He is given the night off and will start Saturday against the Red Wings. The Sabres backup is Patrick Lalime. The veteran enters the night with a 3-4-2 record, 3.20 goals against average and .895 save percentage. The Wild should be able to have its best offensive output in some time, but it is playing its worst hockey of the season in the last five games. If the Wild and Harding don’t get a good jump out of the game, it will be a long night. The Sabres lead the Northeast Division and the Wild is on the outside of the playoff picture for a reason.

Western Conference standings

Wild forwards and defensemen statistics

Wild goaltender statistics

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Unfortunately, that is still getting blown out by the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 Thursday at Joe Louis Arena.

Josh Harding made his first start since aggravating his hip injury on Feb. 4 and looked a little rusty. He seemed to be fighting the puck a little and probably would like to have a couple of the goals back.

Niklas Backstrom was supposed to start, but he tweaked his groin in the morning skate. His status for Friday’s game in Buffalo is unknown.

After losing defensemen Shane Hnidy and Brent Burns to injuries Tuesday, the Wild played nearly half the game without its top goal scorer Guillaume Latendesse. He was injured in the second period when he knocked in the back of the head by an inadvertant high stick by Brian Rafalski. Latendresse went down and was in obvious pain as he was helped off the ice. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. Head coach Todd Richards said after the game that he expects Latendresse to be okay and eligible to play Friday.

The Red Wings took a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes and 15 seconds. Johan Franzen scored the first goal with a shot that hit Harding in the shoulder before popping up over the goaltender and bouncing into the net. It should have been disallowed because Tomas Holmstrom made contact with Harding before the puck got there.

The Red Wings kept coming at the Wild and scored a power play goal when Tomas Holmstrom fired a shot that deflected off Nick Schultz over Harding’s shoulder.

Henrik Zetterberg capped the early barrage with a one-time redirection off a pass from Patrick Eaves. The Wild defense got caught looking at the puck.

The Wild’s lone goal came with 11 seconds remaining in the first period from Andrew Ebbett, who benefitted from a fortunate bounce off Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart’s skate. Ebbett worked a give-and-go with Martin Havlat and tried to pass it to Latendresse on the backdoor, but banked it off Stuart’s skate into the net instead for his seventh goal of the season.

The Red Wings came back in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Drew Miller. The Red Wings had a 2-on-0 breakaway after Cam Barker was unable to keep a clearing attempt in the offensive zone. Ebbett forced Valterri Filppula to hold the puck longer than he wanted to on the breakaway, but his bad angle shot glanced off Harding’s shoulder and Miller’s body before going into the goal.

Franzen capped the scoring with his second goal of the game at the 14:43 mark of the third period. He did a quick stick handle and shot between Wild defenseman Jaime Sifers’ legs.

No. 3 Star: Tomas Holmstrom. The Wings wing recorded a goal and an assist.

No. 2 Star: Johan Franzen. The Wings center recorded two goals.

No. 1 Star: Henrik Zetterberg. The Wings wing recorded a goal and two assists.

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The Minnesota Wild plays the first of back-to-back games Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

The Wild (31-28-6) is coming off a disappointing 3-2 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers Tuesday at home. The Red Wings (31-23-12) are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames Tuesday at home.

The Series

This is the third of four meetings between the two teams. The two teams split the previous two meetings, both were played in the Xcel Energy Center. The Red Wings won the first meeting 4-3 on Jan. 21. The Wild won the second 5-2 on Jan. 27.

Injury Report

The Wild will be without Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion), Clayton Stoner (hernia), Shane Hnidy (leg) and Brent Burns (hip). Hnidy and Burns were injured in Tuesday’s loss to the Panthers. Cal Clutterbuck (charley horse), who did not play Tuesday, is expected to play in Detroit. The Red Wings will be without Kirk Maltby (shoulder).

Roster Movement

Injuries will create a lot of roster movement. Hnidy and Burns’ injuries forced the Wild to recall a defenseman. Jaime Sifers is getting the call to fill opening in the lineup for Hnidy alongside Nick Schultz. In order to make room for Sifers on the roster, Petr Kalus was sent to Houston. John Scott will take Burns’ spot alongside Cam Barker.

Stat of the Day

The Wild has just one win in its last six trips to Joe Louis Arena and five wins all-time in Detroit.

Red Wings Player to Watch

Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings are campaigning for the goaltender to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. He started 13 straight games and 28 of the last 30 for the Red Wings. He has a 24-15-8 record with a 2.38 goals against average and .923 save percentage. The Red Wings are playing its sixth game this month and will play every other day for the first half of the month. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has not said when he will give Howard a game off.

Guaranteed Scorer

Mikko Koivu. The center has two goals and five assists in the last six games. The Wild, as a team, has struggled to sustain any offense and had only 11 shots Tuesday against the Panthers. Koivu has been the Wild’s most consistent player since the Olympic break. If anyone is going to get a goal against the Red Wings, Koivu will be in the middle of it.

Final Score Prediction

Red Wings 5, Wild 1. Neither team is playing particularly well with 4-4-2 records in their last 10 games, but the Red Wings have three wins over teams currently in a playoff spot since the Olympics. With the way the Wild played against two of the worst teams in the league, both shootout losses, this game could get ugly. The Red Wings have a lot more scoring threats than the Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.

Western Conference standings

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