Before Game 5, Wild Aim To Forget Game 4
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There is not much left to be said after the 6-1 shellacking that the St. Louis Blues dished out to the Minnesota Wild in Game Four of the NHL Playoffs, except this: The team that forgets quickly can bounce back quickly.
"We know we didn't play well, they played really well," Wild forward Ryan Suter said. "That's how playoff series go, you know. They're up and down. For us, we just got to get back to focusing on ourself."
The Wild just need to strike quickly, which is the theme of the day heading into Game Five -- forget about Game Four.
"It's not the first time I've given up six goals, and probably not the last," Wild goalie Devyn Dubnyk said. "I know how to handle it, so it's no problem. I said after the game last night we're in the same situation we would be in if we lost one to nothing in triple overtime."
This much is clear through four games: The team that scores first is the better team on that night -- so look for a lot of energy early.
"It's two good teams going at each other, and I think both teams defend well, and once a team gets the lead it's tough to crack it," Wild forward Thomas Vanek said. "They're big, strong, they're well coached."
The way the Wild see it is they have to accept they are in a series, and that means a give and take.
"We got the best of three now against, again, a very good team. You know, two games in their building, one game back here, so it's pretty simple," Wild Coach Mike Yeo said.
So bring it back to St. Louis, and try and change the direction of it yet again.
"We got to rebound, and it seems like when our backs are against the wall, we usually find a way to come up with a big effort, so that's what we're going to need [Friday]," Wild forward Jason Pominville said.
The puck drops in St. Louis at 8:30 p.m.
