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Wild Host St. Louis Before Heading To All-Star Break

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Wild play St Louis Thursday night in their final game before the All-Star break. A time to reflect?

Not really, but a time to understand how you got here.

So does chemistry come from winning, or does winning create chemistry?

"I think winning creates a healthy environment. It builds confidence," Nate Prosser said. "A lot of guys are feeling good about their games, which they should. A lot of guys are playing well and at the top of their games, and you just have to continue to build on the positives."

If you reflect on the first half of this season and you wonder why all the success, you realize there's really not one person or one thing that stands out. And maybe that's the key, that they find a number of different ways to win hockey games.

What they have learned is how to win games, close games with different heroes in a variety of ways.

"That's what good teams do. Whether it's not the prettiest way to win, whether it's not a blow out or you might come from behind, win in a shootout," Jordan Schroeder said.

Which brings us to the head coach, who has obviously made a difference. But what were his impressions of this team when he took the job versus the first half of the season?

"I really didn't know what to expect. We play them three times a year and the only thing that kept going in my mind was they work really had," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "And they're fast. That was the only thing I thought of."

And so far, he's had to have been impressed.

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