Wild Clinch Playoff Spot For 3rd Straight Season

On Saturday, April 16, the Minnesota Wild had the opportunity to lock in a playoff spot, and after coming back from a 4-1 deficit to force overtime, it looked like they would get it done, but the St. Louis Blues (especially Brayden Schenn) had other plans. With the overtime loss, the Wild entered Sunday's game against the San Jose Sharks needing only one point to earn a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They would get it when regulation ended in a 4-4 tie, and they picked up a bonus when Jared Spurgeon's tip-in goal won it for Minnesota.

For the Wild, this is their third straight playoff appearance, and their ninth in the last 10 seasons. The Wild's playoff history has been an interesting one; they debuted in 2000, and it only took them three seasons to reach the playoffs for the first time in team history. That year (2002-03) saw them go all the way to the Western Conference Final, where--after back-to-back seven game wins--they were stifled by the Cinderella run from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In the near two decades that have passed, the Wild's 2003 run remains their most successful season, but it's not for a lack of trying. After missing the playoffs in 2019, the Wild were part of the 2020 bubble playoffs in Edmonton, but were defeated in the Qualifying Round by the Vancouver Canucks.

2021 saw the Wild in a seven-game thriller against the Vegas Golden Knights, with the Wild coming up short. Ironically, the Wild traded for the very goalie who thwarted them that season: Marc-Andre Fleury. We know Fleury's story; he was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks by the Golden Knights in what has been described as quite a shady deal. Fleury's brief time with the Blackhawks could be described as the reigning Vezina winner "making the best out of a bad situation," but he is clearly enjoying his time in Minnesota. So far, Fleury has won six of his seven starts with the Wild, and has a 2.59 GAA to go with a .921 SV%. He has been sharing the net equally with Cam Talbot, but come playoff time, one has to believe that Fleury will be the #1 netminder for Minnesota. There's a lot to be said about experience, as well as three Stanley Cups.

I said this in my last story about the Wild: I am a huge Kirill Kaprizov fan. He is on fire in his second season; he has set franchise records for goals and points for a single season, and he's on his way to becoming the first Wild player to pass the century mark. His first taste of the playoffs last year wasn't so productive; Kaprizov only scored two goals and had one helper in the seven game West Division Semifinal series against the Golden Knights. That will definitely change this year. Kaprizov will be a dominant presence in the playoffs; his playoff point total will grow rapidly.

The Wild are in a close race for 2nd place in the Central Division with the St. Louis Blues, and with both of them being at least 10 points ahead of the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators, it's a foregone conclusion that the Wild will face the Blues in the Central Division Semifinals. In spite of the NHL's immense parity and unpredictability, home-ice advantage is important in any Stanley Cup Playoff series. Every team wants that deciding Game Seven on their ice, and 2nd place in the division means home-ice for the opening round. We should see a very gripping back and forth race between two strong Central Division foes.

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