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Blues looking to end five-game skid vs. Wild

Dec 20, 2008 - 3:02 PM Minnesota (16-13-2) at St Louis (12-16-3), 8:30 pm EST

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The St. Louis Blues will attempt to snap a five-game slide Saturday when they face the Minnesota Wild.

David Backes scored his ninth goal of the season and David Winchester added a power-play tally, but St. Louis fell to the Washington Capitals, 4-2, on Thursday.

Minnesota turned to an unlikely source to end its six-game losing streak Friday, as rookie Colton Gillies picked a good time for his first career goal.

Gillies snapped a tie early in the third period, lifting the Minnesota Wild a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Friday.

Selected 16th overall in 2007 by the Wild, Gillies had been a healthy scratch in 11 of his previous 14 games and hadn't scored a point since November 1.

"I was speechless, it was awesome," the 19-year-old said. "I think the guys just needed a little bit of a confidence boost. I mean, if I can score, they can certainly score, right?"

Filling in for Manny Legace - who is sidelined with a mild concussion, Blues goaltender Chris Mason has struggled lately. He is 0-5-1 with a 4.45 goals-against average this month.