Mikko Koivu took another step toward returning to the Wild lineup Thursday, joining teammates this morning for a warm-up before Minnesota play the Florida Panthers at Xcel Energy Center.

Koivu has missed two games since absorbing a knee-to-knee check by Flames defenseman Mark Giordano Dec. 6 in Calgary and has been ruled out against the Panthers. He skated alone Wednesday and felt good enough to participate in the morning skate.

“It looks like he’s skating pretty well, so I assume it’s not going to be too long before he gets back in the lineup,” said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau.

Koivu is expected to practice Friday with the full team.

“I can see it that happening, but until he talks to the doctors and trainers as to how he felt then we’ll know,” Boudreau said.

Generally players must be medically cleared for contact and participate in a full practice before being activated. But Koivu, a 14-year veteran, might receive the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s still the NHL,” Boudreau said. “You can’t take a week off without skating and expect to come in here and be great. In a perfect world, it’s good to get a couple practices in and get re-acclimated with everything and the speed of the game again.” Related Articles Bob Nevin, won 2 Stanley Cups with Maple Leafs and played 2 seasons with North Stars, dies at 82

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Boudreau noted he sometimes gives Koivu two days off whenever the schedule allows and would still let him play the next night regardless.

“He’s one of those guys that can do that,” he said.

Giordano has served his two-game suspension for the illegal check. The Wild plays Calgary Saturday afternoon at the X.

CRAZY GOALS

Eric Staal once scored from behind the net. Devan Dubnyk yielded a goal from the opposite goal line. And Boudreau had a shot ricochet into the net off the hind of his breezers.

Crazy goals were en vogue this week after Tuesday’s game between the St. Louis Blues and Florida Panthers. Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo attempted to rim the puck around the offensive boards but the puck struck referee Tim Peel in the groin and snaked its way through stunned goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Peel writhed in pain for several minutes, and the goal was disallowed. Pucks that strike referees are considered live but deflections cannot result in a goal — a rare occurrence since officials usually park themselves in the corner parallel to the goal line.

“You see something different every day in this game,” said Boudreau.

He recalled playing for the Maple Leafs in Atlanta when he ducked to avoid getting hit in the head by a teammate’s shot only to have the puck hit him at the top of his rear end and fly into the net.

Staal was trying for a wraparound when the puck hit a defenseman’s stick, then his skate and flew over the goaltender’s head.

“I was still standing behind the net when it went in,” Staal said. “That was probably one of the craziest ones I’ve scored.”

Dubnyk recalled in striking detail how he allowed a goal from 200 feet away. The faceoff was in his team’s offensive zone. The opponent won the draw back to a defenseman, who one-timed it out of zone to kill penalty time.

“I heard the linesman blow the whistle for a faceoff violation, so I looked at him instinctively to why,” Dubnyk recounted. “By the time I looked back, they had dropped the puck and the guy shot it. It was already in the air and I couldn’t see it.

“Everybody’s skating back to me, and that’s when panic set in,” he continued. “I’m scanning fro the puck but I didn’t know where to start looking for it. I’m standing there looking around and it went right past my shoulder into the upper third of the net.”

Dubnyk was admonished by his coach for not paying attention.

“I was just trying to explain what happened,” he said. “That’s not a good feeling when you see everyone skating towards you and you have no idea where the puck was. Pretty shot by the guy, a one-timer from the opposite end of the ice to the top of the net. Tip your hat to him.”

BRIEFLY

Matt Hendricks returned to the lineup centering the fourth line. Eric Fehr moved over to right wing. J.T. Brown was the odd man out.