The Blues shouldn’t feel bad about losing to Minnesota Saturday night at Scottrade Center.

The Wild, it seems, are beating everybody these days. They are 7-0-1 this season, having outscored opponents 7-1 in their third periods. They added Colorado to their hit list Sunday with a 3-2 victory.

This time Mikko Koivu came through with the game-winning goal.

“Just before the third, I told the guys, “Hey, third period is ours. We’ve been playing well. Let’s keep doing it. Let’s go and get the game,’” Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said.

In the new NHL, the action is generally more free-flowing. Referees are still calling lots of interference penalties, so power plays often dominate games.

In this environment, Lemaire has managed to keep the Wild playing stingy team defense. In a go-go league, the Wild still prefers to counter-attack.

Goaltenders Niklas Backstrom (1.48 goals-against average) and Josh Harding (0.50 GAA) are benefiting from this collective discipline. They already have three shutouts between them.

Minnesota was able to shed veteran goaltender Manny Fernandez - and his salary - and not miss a beat.

AROUND THE RINKS: Congrats to old friend Curtis Sanford, who scored a 4-1 victory over the Blue Jackets in his first start of the season. Sanford is one of the hardest working and least lucky players to come through the Blues dressing room in recent years. So it’s great to see good things happen for him in Vancouver . . . The Blues may still opt to return winger David Perron to junior hockey, since playing time has been scarce for him here. But the Bruins have already decided to keep Milan Lucic past nine games, which means his NHL contract clock will start this season. Lucic is still a good bet to play at the World Junior Championship in December — and he could still return to junior hockey later this season if his play slips. But for now, the Bruins want to put his size to use on the wing . . . Avalanche goaltender Jose Theodore may be playing well enough to attract interest elsewhere, like Pittsburgh . . . So what’s wrong with the Rangers’ offense? New York has scored just 13 goals in six games. The Rangers have been shut out in 15 of their 21 periods — and now the team may miss Martin Straka (broken finger) for some time. Coach Tom Renney has tried seven different sets of wingers with new centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez . . . With the Maple Leafs reeling, coach Paul Maurice is on the hot seat. Toronto has allowed a league-high 37 goals this season. But his boss, former assistant Blues GM John Ferguson, is also under the gun. So is he really positioned to make a change? Also, expect lots of trade rumors surrounding that team. The most attractive player on the roster right now is probably Tomas Kaberle . . . The Kings have lots of forwards and not so much goaltending, so expect plenty of speculation to come out of LA. The Ottawa Sun suggests wingers Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov are being dangled . . . Petr Cajanek was done in St. Louis and the Blues couldn’t get another team to claim him (and his salary) on waivers. So now he is headed to play for Ak Bars Kazan in Russia, collecting his $2 million from the Blues and another $900,000 from the Russian team. To loan Cajanek to the Russian club, the Blues will recoup $1 million. “I just decided I needed to go,” Cajanek told the Peoria Journal-Star after sitting out Friday night’s Rivermen game. “I think the AHL is for younger players, really doesn’t fit me. My thinking was, I can stay and play here for a while, wait for a trade by the Blues. Or I could take this deal. And it was a really good deal. It was a tough decision for me. I know I can play in the NHL. It was just too early for another team to claim me, have a need yet.” . . . With Peter Forsberg feeling friskier back in Sweden, speculation has him returning to the NHL sooner than later. Philly wants him back. Colorado wants him back. And Dallas really, really wants him too - and has the greatest need for the center . . . The Oilers are 1-for-33 on the power play and missing Sheldon Souray for at least three more weeks. To shake up the office at even strength. Craig MacTavish is moving struggling center Jarret Stoll to the wing to play with Shawn Horcoff and Raffi Torres . . . The Blues lost some depth up front with Martin Kariya (groin strain) and Yan Stastny (hip flexor injury) suffering minor injuries at Peoria.