Wild Hope To Up Playoff Position Against Avalanche Tuesday
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Wild play the closest thing to a playoff game during the regular season Tuesday with the Colorado Avalanche in town.
Step 1 was Sunday, when the Wild finally won a home game at the Xcel Energy Center -- their first in nearly a month.
"That was a big one," interim head coach John Torchetti said.
Tuesday game is seen as a 4-point swing game, with Colorado just two points ahead of the Wild in the playoff standings. That changes the focus.
"We're going to treat it like a playoff game, and I know they are on the otherside," Wild forward Charlie Coyle said. "It's going to be a good battle, it's going to be fun and we're looking forward to it."
The Wild already won in Colorado this season, but it's going to be different Tuesday night.
"We've had a good feeling in the way we've played the last little while," Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk said. "When you can go through a stretch like we did, and sit down and look at a game like tonight and realize we can put ourselves in a playoff spot."
So they're embracing it: The opponent, the enemy and the mini-magnitude of the night.
"You wait all year to get to this time of the year and here's where it count," Wild forward Erik Haula said. "So you have to make sure you're on top of your game right now."
