Lemaire wants Gaborik to dig down a bit deeper

                   Wild coach Jacques Lemaire is making sure Marian Gaborik earns
                    everything he gets.

                    All season the Wild have tried to stress to the rookie forward the
                    importance of playing with an emphasis on the team. The biggest part of
                    that is being reliable at both ends of the ice.

                    Gaborik was the Wild's first entry draft pick, third overall last June,
                    mainly for his offensive potential. Lemaire is instilling in the prized
                    rookie the need to incorporate as much determination in his own zone,
                    too.

                    When Gaborik does, he receives more ice time, such as the 19 minutes
                    and 28 seconds he played Thursday night in a 1-1 tie against the
                    Calgary Flames. If he's struggling on a certain night, the time decreases.

                    With the trade of left wing Scott Pellerin, who led the team's forwards
                    in ice time, more playing time is available.

                    Before the Wild began their three-game road trip, Lemaire said
                    Gaborik hadn't been on top of his game recently. That changed in
                    Calgary when Gaborik bounced back with a good performance that
                    included scoring the team's only goal.

                    ``He played great defensively, and he played great offensively,'' said
                    Lemaire, whose team plays the Vancouver Canucks tonight. ``At
                    certain times he was the best player on the ice offensively. He did good
                    things defensively. He's learning to play. If he's the first (forward) up,
                    he's thinking offense. If he's the last (forward), he has to think defense.

                    ``It's up to him to choose. But it's up to me to push him offensively,
                    because he's got tools. If he gets caught as the third guy, he has to do
                    the job. He's capable of doing it now. Before he wasn't. So we had to
                    put guys out there to take care of his weaknesses. Now, he doesn't
                    need that. He's getting better, and that I like.''

                    After Lemaire addressed the team about the Pellerin trade, he brought
                    Gaborik into the coaches' dressing room for a one-on-one session
                    about his play.

                    ``He told me to skate more and just try harder,'' said Gaborik, who
                    leads the team with 15 goals and 30 points. ``The game before
                    (Calgary) I didn't have as much ice time. I should have had more
                    scoring chances too. Against Calgary, I just felt good on the ice. I was
                    skating more and making more plays. I scored a goal, and the team
                    played good.''

                    Gaborik, who turned 19 last month, had only 12 minutes and five
                    seconds of ice time in the 3-1 loss at Edmonton on Friday. Part of it
                    was due to the Wild having to kill seven Oilers power plays.

                    The rookie isn't on any of the penalty-killing units. So when the Wild
                    are short-handed, he becomes a spectator.

                    ``I played last year on the penalty kill (in the Slovak senior league),''
                    said Gaborik, who leads the team with 143 shots. ``I was there all the
                    time. I felt I was OK doing it, but guys are more experienced in the
                    NHL. We have some really good defensive players, who are good at it.
                    I don't think (Lemaire) trusts me yet. I hope I can show him that I can
                    do it if he needs me. I hope to show him that I can play on the penalty
                    kill.''

                    Lemaire, who niched a hall of fame career by being a top two-way
                    player, is seeing signs, but the rookie isn't prepared enough to see time
                    in shorthanded situations.

                    ``He's not ready for that,'' Lemaire said. ``He's still has that offensive
                    mind. An offensive mind when it's four-on-five is dangerous. It works if
                    the other team isn't good, but if they're good, you'll get beat easy. We
                    saw that as an example when we played Pittsburgh. I sent him against
                    Mario (Lemieux) and (Jaromir) Jagr, and the puck went in the net.
                    What can you do?''

                    Gaborik has to show the discipline to be in the right position more
                    consistently.

                    ``It's working with your linemates,'' Lemaire said. ``If I'm in first, cover
                    me. If you're in first, I'm going to cover you. You have to do that all the
                    time, and I always talk about that. If I'm in and get the chance, I'm
                    going. But you better back me up. You have to count on that. Defense
                    is the same way.''