Western Conference: Northwest

MINNESOTA WILD

LAST SEASON 48-26-8 (seventh in West); lost in first round to Anaheim

KEY ADDITIONS C Eric Belanger, D�Sean Hill

KEY LOSSES G Manny Fernandez, C Todd White

On the day after its playoff-opening loss to the eventual champion Ducks, Wild coach Jacques Lemaire sought out G.M. Doug Risebrough after running his team through practice. Lemaire was awed by the intensity Anaheim had shown at its own practice earlier that day, and he contrasted the Ducks' purposeful preparation with his club's off-day jitters. The nerves were a sign that despite a team-record 104-point season, Minnesota players were somewhat naive about the rigors of the postseason. "I never experienced anything like that," defenseman Brent Burns says of the playoffs. "Every shift I was shaking."

Convinced that the lessons learned from the five-game loss to Anaheim were enough to season his talented team, Risebrough kept his roster virtually intact. Two players are crucial to a longer playoff run: Goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who took over for an injured Manny Fernandez in January and then led the league in goals-against average (1.97) and save percentage (.929); and right wing Marian Gaborik, who despite being limited to 48 games because of a groin injury still produced 57 points.

Over the last two seasons Gaborik has averaged .602 goals a game, second in the league to the Senators' Dany Heatley and an impressive feat on a team that thinks defense first. Gaborik's play also forces opponents to pay less attention to Minnesota forwards Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston, who tied for a team-high 64�points last season.

The Wild will again find the road to the Stanley Cup finals a tough one to navigate, but Minnesota is clearly the class of a weak division.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

LAST SEASON 44-31-7 (ninth in West)