Coach Dean Evason interrupted the Wild's morning skate Friday at Xcel Energy Center, gathering the group around center ice to remind his team about the pitfalls of the first home game after a long road trip.
"If coaches could figure it out, we'd know why," Evason said. "If players could figure it out, it would never happen."
His solution for the Wild was for players to arrive at the rink ready to play – not after the warm-up skate or following the first period, but when they reported for duty.
And the pep talk worked, because the Wild scored all the offense it needed (and more) in a dominant first period en route to a no-nonsense 3-1 win over the Kings to push its win streak to a season-long five games.
"Sometimes you need a little wakeup call in the morning," winger Nick Bjugstad said. "You get a long flight. You get in late, and you're playing the next day. Sometimes you're not going to have your legs and especially in pregame skate. So, I look at that as a good thing that happened this morning.
"We all took the message from Deaner and I think the legs were there tonight, thankfully. It was a good all-around win, and we're back at it again tomorrow night."
The first period was one of the best the Wild has had this season, with the team using a three-goal outburst on three shots in 3 minutes, 3 seconds to essentially seal the victory.
It was exactly the kind of start the team needed to ward off any potential setbacks in its return home, and it also ended up being just the antidote to stymie the Kings – who were rolling on a six-game win streak.
