Wild roster is crowded with players who have forced a Game 7

The Wild didn't force a Game 7 last year against St. Louis after falling into a 3-2 hole, but the core of this lineup has persevered in the past.

Not once but twice they warded off elimination in 2021 vs. Vegas, winning Games 5 and 6 before dropping Game 7 on the road after an early injury to Jonas Brodin.

They need to rally again against Dallas on Friday at Xcel Energy Center to continue their season.

"There's a big group of us in there that were on that team, and we've learned the lessons there not to grip the stick too tight," Matt Dumba said. "You just gotta play. It's another game. You gotta amplify the focus and just being locked in for 60 minutes. You gotta let the other things take care of themselves and not to get too hung up on anything.

"Through playoffs, it's the highs and lows."

As pressure-packed as the situation is, the Wild are viewing it as exciting. They're on home ice, and that means they'll have the last line change — an opportunity to get the matchups they want on the ice.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," said Marcus Johansson, who's played past the first round six times during 11 trips to the postseason. "We're still in this. It's first to seven. It's going to be a lot of fun. These games are the best games to play in. Go out and enjoy it and accept the challenge. I think we have the right group for it."

Despite the change in what's at stake, goaltender Filip Gustavsson believes the same mind-set applies.

"We have nothing to lose really," said Gustavsson, who's in his first Stanley Cup playoffs and has started all but Game 2 vs. the Stars. "So, we got to play with urgency, and if we don't stick to the game plan we're going to have a tough time [in Game 6]. So, the worst thing is probably to panic and play different than we've been playing before."

Marcus Foligno is looking forward to getting back in action after he was ejected barely two minutes into Game 5 for kneeing the Stars' Radek Faksa.

"You lose myself and you're playing 11 forwards, it's difficult when you're playing against a team like that," said Foligno, who had a goal in Game 3. "So I'm excited to get a chance to redeem myself and our team to redeem ourselves in a sense of just playing a full 60 [minutes]."

The Wild recalled forwards Adam Beckman, Steven Fogarty, Nic Petan, Marco Rossi, Nick Swaney and Sammy Walker, defensemen Daemon Hunt and Dakota Mermis and goaltender Zane McIntyre from Iowa in the American Hockey League.