A shootout win over the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night was huge for the Minnesota Wild, no question. However, the division rival Avalanche are determined to get back into the postseason after missing out last year. As of this Sunday night writing, the Wild are 34-28-11 with 79 points, occupying the second wild card and final playoff spot in the West. Colorado is just behind with 78 points, while Arizona, Calgary and the rest of the conference outside postseason contention are nearly out of sight.
Unfortunately, the Avs were up 3-1 on Edmonton at the time of scheduling this piece to publish, meaning Minnesota is probably back in ninth place by the time you read this.