Wild midseason report: 'We're winning, it feels like, all the time'

LAS VEGAS — The Wild has gone more than two games between wins only once this season.

Not only does the team boast the third-best offense in the NHL, its defense has been among the stingiest over the last month-plus. Both goalies own a save percentage better than the league average.

"We're winning, it feels like, all the time," Kevin Fiala said.

Then there's the strategy behind this success: A league-best five multi-goal comeback victories, only three regulation losses at home and more than half the lineup is having a career year or on track for one.

Fact is, at 28-10-3, the Wild just wrapped one of the best first halves to the season in franchise history.

But as dominant as the Wild has been at times, the players believe they still haven't reached their peak.

If they can unlock that potential after the All-Star break, the Wild could be barreling toward even more unprecedented accomplishments.

"Obviously, things are great right now and I'm happy about that and we're winning games and we're playing well," Kirill Kaprizov said through a translator. "But I think we can get even better. So I'm really excited about what we can do with this team."

When the season resumes Tuesday at Winnipeg, the Wild will carry the longest active win streak in the NHL into action.

A 5-0 dusting of the Blackhawks on Wednesday sealed the team's sixth consecutive victory and extended its point streak to a season-best 10 games. Add in an eight-game undefeated swing from Nov. 24-Dec. 8, and the Wild is one of only three clubs to secure multiple win streaks of at least six games; Colorado and Pittsburgh are the others.

"No matter who we play, it seriously doesn't matter," Fiala said. "We believe we will win."

The results back up this thinking.

Aside from a five-game slide that culminated in a 6-4 letdown to the Blues at the Winter Classic, the Wild has a knack for quickly bouncing back from losses. The team has racked up three goals or more in all but eight games, with its 3.83 average trailing only Colorado and Florida.

And after a string of high-scoring photo finishes early in the season, the team has tightened up of late; the 27 goals it has surrendered since Jan. 1 are tied for the fewest in the NHL.

NHL standings: Conference | Wild Card

During that rebound, Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen have shared the crease, giving the Wild a trustworthy goaltending tandem.

"That's the recipe for winning hockey right there," said Talbot, who will be representing the Wild in Las Vegas for All-Star weekend along with Kaprizov. "Play great in your own zone and then go down and capitalize at the other end."

This prowess, however, hasn't always been achieved easily.

Actually, the Wild has frequently veered down the tougher trek to reach its destination, banking 11 wins after giving up the game's first goal. The team is also an impressive 6-1-2 when scoring in the last two minutes of regulation, has a jaw-dropping 13 goals at 6-on-5 and is victorious in 14 one-goal finishes.

On home ice, the Wild is 14-3-1.

"Teams don't take us lightly anymore," General Manager Bill Guerin said.

Kaprizov is tied for seventh in NHL scoring, and his 53 points have already eclipsed his total from last season when he was crowned the league's rookie of the year. He'll take in his first All-Star Game experience beginning Friday with the breakaway challenge in the skills competition; Talbot is participating in the save streak event.

Mats Zuccarello has been a lightning rod for offense, and Fiala is on pace for a third consecutive 20-goal season. His 12-game point streak is the longest active in the NHL and has tied the franchise record.

But others have stepped up, too.

Ryan Hartman's 18 goals trail only Kaprizov's 19, and Marcus Foligno isn't far behind at 17. Joel Eriksson Ek has done the bulk of his goal scoring on the power play, and Matt Boldy is having the most productive rookie debut in team history with 10 points in 10 games.

Wild midseason statistics

Many of these contributions have happened while the Wild's been hamstrung because of injury and COVID-19.

Not since Dec. 16 has the team been at full strength, with Foligno, Matt Dumba and Nick Bjugstad hurt going into the break. But these absences haven't derailed the Wild. Instead, they've revealed part of the team's identity — its depth.

"It doesn't matter who's in, who's out, guys getting called up, filling those roles and filling it admirably," Talbot said. "It doesn't matter who we plug in the lineup. They give us a hard game every night, and that's what you're looking for."

Getting healthy could change the roster in the second half, or Guerin could shake up the look.

The trade deadline is March 21 and if the Wild is grouped in with the contenders, maybe Guerin adds to the team after being idle last deadline.

As it stands now, the Wild is third in the Central Division with games at hand over second-place Nashville and No. 1 Colorado.

"I don't know what we'll do right now," Guerin said.

What isn't a mystery is the standard the Wild is pursuing.

"I have big confidence in this group that we can go all the way," Fiala said.

Soon it'll be time to prove that's an appropriate target.

"We have a very good team," Guerin said. "But the expectations go with that, too, and I have high expectations. I think we are where we should be, and we need to continue to get better."