Wild clinch series over Blues on home ice to advance to second round
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Mikko Koivu waited near the end of the handshake line between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues, the customary series-ending ritual with one team heading home and another on to the second round.
Next to Koivu was goaltender Devan Dubnyk -- who helped propel Minnesota to be in position for Sunday's playoff victory -- and Wild head coach Mike Yeo, the steady hand who has led the Wild to three consecutive playoff appearances.
Koivu, the longest tenured player on Minnesota's roster, took in the deafening roar of the Xcel Energy Center crowd, which had seen its beloved Wild advance to the second round of the playoffs after beating the St. Louis Blues 4-1 Sunday and 4-2 in the series.
"It was great," Koivu said of clinching at home. "I thought the fans really deserved that. Coming into the game, (the crowd) always great. But I think the last minute or two and after the game you can really see how excited they are. They've been there through the ups and downs this year and a lot of years. So when you see that and you see how much they enjoy it, it's a special feeling for a player."
An exuberant afternoon crowd and Minnesota's captain had waited a long time for Sunday's circumstances. Koivu, the last Wild player through the handshake line, met his teammates at center ice and they raised their sticks high to salute the crowd.
Minnesota clinched a playoff series at home for the first time in franchise history with the Game 6 victory on Sunday. The Wild clinched each of its three previous series wins in Game 7 on the road. In fact, Sunday was the first time the Wild had ever won a game when holding a series lead.
Finishing the series with St. Louis on Sunday was important for several reasons.
"I think winning at home, it's the first time we've ever done that, that was something that was very important to our group, to win in front of our fans," Yeo said. "Obviously you don't want to go back and play that team in a Game 7 in their building. We knew that. It meant a lot to us to try to win this game in front of our fans. They deserved that tonight."
A tough, physical series between Minnesota and the Blues had gone back and forth. The Wild opened Game 1 with a win and the teams traded victories -- until Sunday. Zach Parise's shorthanded goal snared momentum for Minnesota and Parise led the way with his fifth career multi-goal game in the win.
Dubnyk, in his first-ever NHL playoffs, made 30 saves. The only shot to beat Dubnyk was T.J. Oshie's odd-angle shot through traffic with 4 seconds left in the second period. The late goal could have rattled the Wild and given St. Louis the encouragement it needed.
Pressure was something Minnesota had grown accustomed to.
"Twenty minutes at home to find a way to get into the next round, up by one, I think we would have taken that any time of the year," Wild forward Jason Pominville said. "Especially three months ago when you look at where we were and we stuck with it, found a way and obviously we're pretty excited about it."
Three months ago, a trip to the second round of the playoffs looked improbable. Minnesota was in 12th place and eight points out of a playoff spot. Then the Wild traded for Dubnyk, got healthy again and was the NHL's best team the rest of the way.
"Yeah, it's pretty crazy," Pominville said of the turnaround from January.
To contrast Sunday's feelings with January's outlook, no one can blame Koivu and Minnesota for savoring every postgame moment. Koivu -- who hadn't won a playoff series in his first three trips to the postseason -- and Parise said Sunday will be about enjoying a series win before looking forward.
For the second consecutive year, the wild-card Wild beat the Central Division champions. Last year, Minnesota beat Colorado in seven games.
The reward is the same: a second-round meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Wild will face the Blackhawks in the postseason for the third consecutive year. Chicago, which beat Nashville in six games in the first round this year, ousted Minnesota in five games in the first round in 2013 and in six games in the second round last year.
"It's a good accomplishment," Yeo said of winning the first round. "Three straight years we've been to the playoffs and a couple of years now that we've won a round, but nobody's satisfied with that. We weren't last year, and we're even less this year. I think that's a good thing. But we know that we're up against a tough challenge in the next round as well."
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