St. Louis – The Wild could get swept Wednesday night. You know how this team got into this predicament, and how unlikely a series victory is at this point.
But we watch sports to be surprised. Here are 10 ways the Wild belatedly can make this a competitive series and stop whining about "puck luck'':
1. Follow Parise
He hasn't proved to be an ideal franchise leader and his game might be in decline, but he has been the only Wild forward who has been both gritty and productive in this series.
The Wild has scored three goals. Parise has two goals and an assist. His 6-on-5 and 5-on-3 goals didn't exactly create a template for future scoring. His assist did.
In Game 3, Parise took a breakout pass and placed a hard shot on net. Charlie Coyle flicked in the rebound and the Wild, for just a moment, looked like the team that scored so prolifically this season. The Wild needs much more of that.
2. Move forward, forwards
There have been long stretches of this series during which Jason Pominville has been invisible. Mikko Koivu hasn't scored since March 7 and has two goals since Feb. 4.
Mikael Granlund and Eric Staal have failed to replicate their regular-season performances. Ryan White was a hairy mess in Game 3. Martin Hanzal was acquired to play physically against Jonathan Toews in the second round but has damaged the Wild's chances of surviving the first round.
The Wild has had plenty of chances in this series, but too often the puck has wound up on the stick of someone who can't remember how to score. That could change. That must change.