With both teams winning on the road so far in their best-of-seven series, home-ice advantage hasn't been a deciding factor between the Wild and Blues, who have each won two games.
Wild hopes to take advantage of home ice in Game 5
Both teams have won on the road as the Western Conference playoff series is tied at two.
May 9, 2022 at 10:19PM
But if that changes, the Wild is in position to be the beneficiary since Game 5 on Tuesday is at Xcel Energy Center and same with Game 7 on Saturday if necessary.
"We're confident in that," defenseman Matt Dumba said. "But we know we have to work it into existence. We're always happy to go home and be in front of our fans. Hopefully build some good momentum here in Game 5 and close that game out."
After dropping the Round 1 opener 4-0 in St. Paul, the Wild bounced back 6-2 in Game 2 with a new lineup that saw Alex Goligoski step in on defense for Dmitry Kulikov.
Coach Dean Evason didn't reveal on Monday whether the Wild will make another adjustment after its latest setback, a 5-2 letdown in Game 4, but he said the team has debated it.
"That's been a key for us all year is our depth," Evason said. "If we were to make a decision to take somebody out and put somebody in, it wasn't necessarily if they played bad but to get some fresh legs in.
"There's that balance, right? Do you disrupt? Are you pushing the panic button making a change? Are you doing it for the right reasons? We go through all of that. Hopefully [Tuesday] night we make the right decision."
Smooth start
St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington learned Saturday he would start Sunday in Game 4 and despite a lengthy layoff — he hadn't played since April 26 vs. Colorado — Binnington made a smooth arrival into the series with a 28-save performance.
"It felt good," Binnington said. "I felt prepared. We had a good start to the game, really good first period. Definitely a big win and hard-fought win."
Although Binnington guided the Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019 and backstopped them in the playoffs the subsequent two seasons, he was shelved initially against the Wild in favor of Ville Husso.
Coach Craig Berube acknowledged the change as a way to shift momentum, and St. Louis responded: The Blues posted their first lead since Game 1 and even though they were relying on a patchwork defense that saw veterans Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk hit 30 minutes of ice time, St. Louis prevailed to even the series at 2-2.
"These are why we play," Binnington said. "These are fun moments and there's adversity, and it's just backing it up and picking yourself up and trying to get back at it again. It was an opportunity for me [Sunday], and we played a heck of a game and we kept it tight and I think now we just shift our focus to next game."
As for the Blues' depleted blue line, Marco Scandella (lower-body injury) has been ruled out for Game 5. Nick Leddy and Robert Bortuzzo (upper-body injuries) skated Monday, but it's unclear if they're ready to return.
Novak signs
The Wild signed forward Pavel Novak to a three-year, entry-level contract that starts next season.
Novak had 29 goals and 43 assists for 72 points in 62 games with Kelowna in the Western Hockey League this season, tied for first on the team in goals and finishing second in scoring.
A native of the Czech Republic, the 20-year-old was drafted in the fifth round (146th overall) by the Wild in 2020.
For the Wild, four points behind the league-leading Jets, this will be their most anticipated matchup against a division rival since they lost 2-1 to the Stars on Nov. 16.
