A Statement Game For The Minnesota Wild
from Michael Russo of The Athletic,
If you get Wild score notifications sent to your cellphone, your battery probably went belly-up Wednesday night just like the Colorado Avalanche’s 15-game point streak.
Three weeks after having their spirit, psyche and overall game ripped to shreds during consecutive one-sided losses in Denver, two nights after responding poorly in the first of a two-game set against their biggest nemesis, the Wild responded the right way and pulled off a statement win by blowing out the Avs 8-3 at Xcel Energy Center.
One regulation loss in a 16-game span probably won’t spook or damage the Avalanche, but the victory could be a real confidence booster for the Wild. Finishing the eight-game season series with an emphatic third win at least reminded the 20 players inside their locker room that they can beat that team just in case they run into them when it matters in the postseason.
The path to the Stanley Cup very possibly could go through Colorado, and the Wild are well aware of that.
“The whole game, we really wanted to win,” said Kevin Fiala, who notched his first career hat trick and had a career-high four points. “We did everything to win, and I feel we deserved it. It was a huge game for us. We really came at this game, and we wanted to just win the game and maybe give a little statement and show them that, ‘We can play against you guys’ if we’re gonna meet them in the playoffs.”
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Highlights of the Wil 8-3 win can be viewed below....
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