Wild 4, Penguins 0

Some news and notes, facts and quotes from the Penguins’ 4-0 loss to Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center Saturday night:

*** The Penguins looked very much like a team that learned hours before the game that they were locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, regardless of how the rest of their regular-season games turn out. “We did look like that,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “There is a challenge for us to find motivation to play well right now. Our playoff standing isn’t going to change, based on how we play or how many wins we get, but … we have to realize what’s coming here in a couple of weeks, or whenever the playoffs start. “We’ve talked a lot about that before, but it’s true. We have to find a way to be more consistent, to be better.”

*** Rookie defenseman Olli Maatta was a surprise scratch, but coach Dan Bylsma said the injury that forced him out of the game does not appear to be serious and that he’s listed as day-to-day.

*** The loss cost the Penguins [49-24-5] a shot at tying the franchise record for away victories when they visit Colorado Sunday at 8:08 p.m. in their road finale. They have 22; the team record is 24.

*** Wild goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped all 20 shots the Penguins launched at him to become the first goalie to shut out the Penguins in Minnesota since Cesare Maniago of the North Stars did it in a 2-0 victory on Feb. 20, 1972.

*** Minnesota was limited to 20 shots on Penguins goalie Jeff Zatkoff, but four made it past him. That includes three of the six the Wild got during the opening period.

Center Sidney Crosby, who had a six-game points streak snapped, conceded that “we didn’t play well,” but suggested the Penguins can get their game in order if they “just play the right way. We know what that is. We’ve done a pretty good job of it. We know what that looks like. It’s just a matter of finding that urgency for the last little bit.”

*** The Penguins’ two-game winning streak – their longest ever against the Wild – ended.

*** Minnesota got the first goal against the Penguins for the first time in six games.

*** The Penguins have killed 25 consecutive power plays for the Wild, including two Saturday night.

*** Crosby appeared in his 548th NHL regular-season game; the Penguins have played 700 since he joined them, which means he's dressed for 78.3 percent of them.

*** Center Evgeni Malkin, who has a foot injury, missed his 100th regular-season game.

*** Zatkoff has lost consecutive starts for the first time since dropping his first two decisions of the season.