ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The wild-card berth has suited Minnesota well. It's part of the franchise's nickname, after all.
With game-breaking production from Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, shut-down defense on the first line for the Vegas Golden Knights and stellar goaltending by Filip Gustavsson, the Wild have a 2-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.
For a team that barely got in the NHL playoffs, struggling to stay afloat while Kaprizov and fellow first-line forward Joel Eriksson Ek recovered from long-term injuries, the Wild have sure flipped a switch to meet the moment in the playoffs against a Golden Knights team that finished with the third-best record in the regular season.