Thomas Vanek had trouble getting to sleep Wednesday night. Devan Dubnyk waking up Thursday only offered a harsh reminder he wasn't having a bad dream.
Once realization set in for Dubnyk and his Minnesota Wild teammates -- that Wednesday's 6-1 loss in Game 4 was real -- the group prepared to move on with Game 5 tomorrow in St. Louis.
"You realize it's a beautiful day here in Minnesota and the sun came up this morning and that's going to happen regardless of what happens on the ice," said Dubnyk of moving on as the team congregated at the airport for an afternoon flight. "Whatever you need do, if you spend some time with the family, play around with the little guy, whatever brings you some perspective on life. You reset and get back at it. We all know we're a great hockey team and that was one hockey game."
In the postgame locker room there was a sense from the Wild of being able to move on from the tough loss. There wasn't anger from the players or a feeling of despair. Instead, even minutes after the 6-1 loss, there was more of a quiet confidence and belief that they would be OK.
"We've got such good group, a deep group and a good mix of veterans and young guys that have all been through it," Dubnyk said. "You can just feel it in the room. There's zero panic in our group and we know what we've got to change and we'll be ready to do it."
The two teams have alternated games in the series with Minnesota winning the first game in St. Louis and Game 3 at home. The best-of-seven series is tied at 2 with the teams splitting the games in each building.
"We've been a resilient group for the last three months, especially on the road," Vanek said. "As a team, we know we can win on the road. That's important. Obviously, it's frustrating. I think maybe we looked ahead, because we knew a 3-1 lead would have been huge."
Momentum hasn't carried from game to game in the series. The Wild appeared to seize control in a shutout Game 3 win. St. Louis came right back and answered quickly in game 4 on the way to a convincing win.
"I was talking to someone this morning and he was saying it was almost like we pretty much switched teams," Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter said. "That happens, that's what happens in a seven game series. Now we have to get that back, get the momentum back."
Suter was reminded of a story told to him by Barry Alvarez at the University of Wisconsin. Alvarez talked to the Badgers hockey team before the NCAA tournament; swinging his arm, Alvarez discussed momentum being like a pendulum. Right now, the pendulum has swung in St. Louis' favor.
But in the series, with a day off between games, momentum hasn't continued. The Blues proved that fact in Game 4 by playing their best game of the series after possibly their worst in Game 3.
Wild head coach Mike Yeo said keeping the series in perspective is key.
"It can't be the end of the world when you lose a hockey game, and conversely, you can't feel that you're ready to move on just because you win one hockey game," Yeo said. "It's all part of the process, and I think our guys recognize that. I think we understand that the combination of, they played well, and we'll tip our hats to them. But we also know that we weren't even close to being on top of our game."
Yeo indicated there will likely be lineup changes for Minnesota in Game 5 but wouldn't divulge his thinking. Dubnyk will surely be back in goal after being pulled Wednesday while giving up six goals, the most he's allowed in a game for the Wild.
"It's not the first time I've given up six goals and probably not the last," Dubnyk said Thursday. "I know how to handle it. We're in the same situation we would be in if we lost 1-0 in triple overtime."
Minnesota is back in a pressure situation. The Wild had been in must-win situations almost since mid-January when they were 12th in the Western Conference and eight points out of a playoff spot.
Yeo reminded reporters both teams should be feeling pressure. St. Louis has lost in the first round the past two seasons and given up series leads each time.
"I think there's still pressure on that team over there," Yeo said. "I think that the way things have gone for them the last few years, we know the word redemption is coming into play for them, and obviously it's a very motivated group over there.
"I do think that they think that they're much better than us and it's our job to prove that we're up at that level. So we've got an opportunity tomorrow to be a good test but we're excited about it."
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