Wild returns home to fans at Xcel Energy Center with momentum from road trip

The Wild won't just return home to its largest crowd of the season when the team is back in action on Monday against Colorado.

An 11-game win streak at Xcel Energy Center will also be waiting for the Wild.

But that's not the only momentum the team has right now.

After sagging in San Jose, the Wild rebounded in Las Vegas to sweep the Golden Knights and finish off a four-game road trip on the upswing.

"Every guy knew that we had a little bit more to give after those San Jose games," goaltender Cam Talbot said, "and we came in here and we got it done."

By rallying past the Golden Knights 2-1 on Saturday, a comeback ignited by center Joel Eriksson Ek's assist and game-winning goal, the Wild ended its week-long getaway 2-1-1 and sealed five out of a possible eight points.

Not only did the team recalibrate after dropping two games to the Sharks, but the Wild bolstered its road record to 10-8-2 after losing both tests on its last trip and winning just once on the trek before that.

"It's a great road trip," defenseman Ian Cole said. "It's great to win. All that's fantastic. But all that matters now is the next game and winning that game and the game after that and the game after that and onwards. We just gotta continue to work and get the job done."

What could help keep this mojo going is the defensive posture the Wild used to silence the Golden Knights' sticks for much of Saturday's battle.

Talbot was perfect after Tomas Nosek's goal 5 minutes, 33 seconds into the first period, but the setup in front of him was also a catalyst for the Wild limiting Vegas to just one goal. The Wild was much tighter, giving up fewer odd-man rushes after the Golden Knights frequently entered the offensive zone with strength in numbers in the 3-2 shootout win for the Wild on Thursday.

"[Saturday] I think was one of our definitely most sound structural games of the season," Talbot said. "We didn't give up a lot off the rush at all. In-zone, we didn't give us much at all form the slot unless it was a broken play and you just have to battle it out from there.

"Our guys did a lot of things right [Saturday], and that's what it takes to be successful in this league night in, night out. If we can come out and put this game back on the ice for the last [20] games here, we're going to be successful more often than not."

And when Vegas did wind-up on pucks, the Wild made a habit of getting in front of them – blocking 26 shots.

"It means the world to winning hockey games," Cole said. "Every shot that's blocked doesn't have a chance of going in, which I love those odds. Obviously, we'd rather close plays quick in the corners and the neutral zone. But if we cannot, you might need to block shots and we have been doing that, which is fantastic."

A crowd of 3,950 inside T-Mobile Arena watched this improvement by the Wild, and now the team will get the chance to play live in front of its own sizeable group of fans; up to 3,000 will be allowed to attend Monday's game against the Avalanche.

Colorado is currently at the top of the West Division with 54 points, but the Wild is also locked into a playoff spot – sitting third with 48 points, a whopping nine ahead of No.4 Arizona.

"What we need our focus on right now is just playing well, playing well consistently and winning hockey games," Cole said. "So far, we've done a pretty decent job of that all year and we're just going to have to continue to do that. If we do that, then the standings will sort themselves out."