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Super sophomore G Backstrom leads Wild against Oilers

Oct 10, 2007 - 2:16 PM Edmonton (2-1-0) at Minnesota (2-0-0) 8:00 pm EDT

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) -- Goaltender Niklas Backstrom and the Minnesota Wild will look to continue their red-hot start to the new campaign when they face Northwest Division rival, the Edmonton Oilers.

Backstrom, the super sophomore, is picking up right where he left off last season. After leading the NHL in his rookie season with a 1.97 goals-against average, the 29-year-old Finn has allowed just two goals while making 48 saves in his first two games - including a shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks in the season opener.

Despite his limited NHL experience, the Wild have plenty of confidence in their young netminder, trading veteran Manny Fernandez to the Boston Bruins during the offseason after the two shared time in the crease during 2006-07.

Fernandez and Backstrom won the Jennings Trophy last season, allowing just 184 goals, the lowest total in the NHL. It has yet to be seen whether Backstrom can be successful carrying the entire load, but he is off to a strong start.

Backstrom and the Wild dominated the Oilers during last season, winning six of the eight contests between the teams. Backstrom posted a perfect record in four starts against Edmonton in 2006-07, allowing just two goals while registering two shutouts and 90 saves.

Not only will the Oilers have to solve Backstrom, but they will have to beat the Wild at home, something that has only happened once over their last 10 games as Minnesota has posted a 9-1-1 record at the Xcel Energy Center.