Punishment not part of the picture in Wild lineup choices

ELMONT N Y One of the costly turnovers and there were several by both teams in the Minnesota Wild s - overtime loss to the New York Rangers earlier this week came when defenseman Declan Chisholm lost control of the puck at the side of the Minnesota net and New York forward Chris Kreider pounced giving the Rangers their first lead of the championship For Friday s contest versus the Islanders in the New York City suburbs Chisholm was a healthy scratch and Jon Merrill took his place on the Minnesota blue line At the Wild s morning skate at UBS Arena on Friday morning when requested about the change and the costly mistake two days earlier coach John Hynes stressed that the lineup change was not in any way about punishing Chisholm Chisholm s not coming out because he turned the puck over to be very honest Hynes reported We made other mistakes in the tournament Justin Brazeau made one in New Jersey I think that when you re looking at roles and pairs and different things like that Chisholm s been a big reason why we are where we are In fact when the Wild have been mostly healthy on defense and veteran Jonas Brodin has been in the lineup he has missed multiple games due to injury on four separate occasions this season Chisholm and Merrill have rotated in and out of the lineup and Hynes had nothing but praise for both Chisholm has played in of the Wild s games missing four due to injury We ve had massive injuries at D all year long This kid s come in and played great hockey for us Hynes declared I just think when you look at the roles it seems that at this point right now he s a good pairing defenseman when he plays with captain Jared Spurgeon and he plays different minutes Right now where we re at in the season it s strictly role based and pairing based If there happens to be an injury in the top four defensemen then that s Chizzy s spot Chisholm is in his first full season with the Wild after coming over from Winnipeg in a waiver claim last season He has two goals and assists Zuccarello honors New York media legend Sam Rosen the longtime television voice of the New York Rangers is retiring this season after years behind the microphone at Madison Square Garden and wherever the Broadway Blueshirts play on the road Born in Germany Rosen and his family immigrated to Brooklyn when he was just two years old Wild forward Mats Zuccarello who spent parts of nine seasons with the Rangers became friends with Rosen Before the final competition he would play with Rosen behind the microphone the Minnesota standout offered a special tribute During warmups at Madison Square Garden Zuccarello wore a Wild sweater with Rosen s name on the back and the number on it in honor of the broadcaster s four decades of work After warmups each Wild athlete signed the sweater and Zuccarello presented it to Rosen after the competition It s about the respect He s been in the meeting for years He s a legend in the competition especially here in New York So yeah it was out of respect that we all signed a jersey for him Zuccarello declared in the postgame locker room Obviously I spent specific time with him and around him So for me it s kind of a thank you and a special night last challenge he s going to commentate of me So I think it s a nice token of respect from the organization and wish him good luck on his retirement Rosen was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame s broadcasting wing in Related Articles Wild Penalty kill improving at a vital time Not pointless as Wild fall in OT to Rangers Busy schedule suits the Wild just fine at this time of the season No pouting allowed as getting to three goals is elusive for Wild lately Matt Boldy s late goal salvages a point for Wild in New Jersey