Wild has found that there's no place like … the road

OTTAWA – For whatever reason, it's on the road, not at home, where the Wild usually gets that timely goal or mega-clutch save.

The latest example came Saturday in Montreal. A little more than a minute after the Canadiens tied the score, Mikael Granlund scored his first of two goals. Preserving a two-goal lead in the third, Devan Dubnyk came up huge several times starting 15 seconds in when he robbed Torrey Mitchell.

If Mitchell scores, the complexion of the entire period probably changes. In fact, that third period was the only thing John Torchetti didn't like about the Wild's latest road win. The Wild, which survived 4-1, was outshot 14-2 and needed to lean heavily on Dubnyk.

Maybe it's just the natural sag that inherently happens when a team is trying to lock down a win. Maybe it's the fact that players were afraid to make a mistake with the Wild in desperate need of a win to get back in a playoff spot.

"I have no idea. But it's a big thing, seriously," Torchetti said after Monday's practice in preparation for Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators. "You don't want to sit back and give teams opportunities and then think you're going to be able to turn the momentum on. We didn't do it purposely. We got through it because of Dubnyk."

As maligned as Dubnyk has been of late, that actually shouldn't come as a shock. Dubnyk was 15-2-1 with a 1.53 goals-against average and .949 save percentage on the road for the Wild last year. And along with Darcy Kuemper, Dubnyk has a .949 5-on-5 save percentage on the road under Torchetti.

The Wild is 6-2 on the road under Torchetti, having outscored its opponents 28-17. At Xcel Energy Center (so, excluding the outdoor trouncing of the Blackhawks), it's a different story. The Wild is 2-3 under Torchetti (the only two wins in St. Paul since Dec. 28) and has been outscored 14-13.

"I don't know. I really don't know. I don't know. I don't have the right answer," veteran Thomas Vanek said, laughing. "The answer is the clichéd answer. We keep it simple on the road. We try to do a little too much at home, and it backfires. On the road, we stay patient, we play our game and we end up scoring timely goals.

"I think sometimes we talk too much before the games at home to be simple, to be perfect. On the road, we just talk about 'our game.' We have to bring that mind-set home. We don't need four tap-in goals. We can get four dirty ones, too, and succeed that way."

Torchetti wants Vanek to practice what he preaches, though. In the Wild's last home game — a loss to Edmonton — Vanek often turned the puck over trying to be too cute. Torchetti pulled him aside and told him to quit it. Torchetti wants to feel comfortable putting Vanek on the ice against anybody and wants to get his ice time up to the 15-minute mark.

Vanek has logged less than 15 minutes in eight of Torchetti's 14 games. Vanek responded with a strong two-assist game against Montreal.

"We talked about his game," Torchetti said. "He knows what I want. He understands moving forward. I think we're on the right page. He's a vital cog on our team making it in the playoffs. He's a proven goal scorer, and we need that."

That would seem to indicate Zucker won't play again, although Torchetti said, "We'll see what [Tuesday] brings."

Torchetti addressed the players last Friday and told them, "If somebody doesn't play up to what I feel or the staff feels" they're capable, they'll be pulled from the lineup.

General Manager Chuck Fletcher has given Torchetti that latitude, and Zucker was the first victim.

"I just got to be better. That's what it comes down to. I'm not playing well enough," Zucker said. "To be honest, points are the least of my worries. I think I've got to be playing to worry about points.

"I think it's a combination of things. I stopped doing some things that I was doing well, and then one thing leads to another and you start compensating for things that you don't need to compensate for. It's just kind of a slippery slope if you don't stop yourself."

"We're in a situation where we've got to win. There's no way around it," Vanek said. "We have plenty of guys in here who can get the job done. So if you're not performing each night, it's not even sometimes that you're being punished, it's to get another body in there."