Wild continue to juggle roster

SATURDAY'S STORY LINE: Trying to shake things up on and energize the struggling team, the Wild made several roster moves Friday. Forwards Casey Wellman and David McIntyre were sent back to Houston. Forwards Jed Ortmeyer, Matt Kassian, Chad Rau and defenseman Nate Prosser were recalled. All four players will be in the lineup tonight. "We are going to try to do whatever it takes right now and these guys should be coming in and they should have a positive mind frame coming into the game and they are going to be excited to play which we need a lot of right now," said Coach Mike Yeo on the call-ups. One player who will be extra excited is Eden Prairie native Rau, who will make his NHL debut tonight. The 24-year-old, who has 19 points (7 Goals, 12 Assists) in 38 games with Houston this season, couldn't wipe the smile off his face when discussing his NHL debut. Making his debut on Hockey Day Minnesota in front of friends and family makes it extra special. "It is incredible how it is working out and I am really excited for it tonight," said Rau. Rau's brother, Kyle, plays for the Gophers, who will take on Colorado College at 5pm at Mariucci. The scheduling works out perfect for Rau's family. Rau said they will be able to attend Kyle's game and then make their way over to Xcel Energy Center to see his NHL debut. In his debut, Rau will skate on a line with former Houston teammates Ortmeyer and Kassian. Rau feels his familiarity will help him tonight. "I am excited to play with them, guys I am comfortable and used to playing with. I played with Ortmeyer quite a bit this year so it should make it an easier transition," noted Rau. LINEUP NOTES: Josh Harding will get the start in goal. Mike Lundin, Marek Zidlicky and Brad Staubitz will be healthy scratches. HE SAID IT: "It is not an easy move, but we are forced into hard decisions right now. We have been stumbling for a long time here our team can't be as good as we can be till everybody starts playing as good as we can playMarek has the potential to be really good and I know that he has been really good. We have tried a lot of different things and hopefully he handles it the right way and uses this to come back and be a better player." Yeo on scratching Zidlicky