PITTSBURGH – The Wild aren’t coming back to Minnesota as the same team that departed for seven in a row on the road.
Since their two-leg trip began on Oct.13, the Wild overcame their first wave of injuries. They got the first goalie goal in franchise history, upset the Stanley Cup champions and went on the second-longest season-opening streak in NHL history without trailing in regulation.
Kirill Kaprizov became one of the leading scorers in the league and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury christened his final game in Pittsburgh with an emotional victory.
In a nutshell, the Wild turned into one of the top teams in the league during their 17-day stint away from Xcel Energy Center.
Is now really the time to return?
“Hopefully we can keep it going at home,” defenseman Brock Faber said after Tuesday’s 5-3 victory over the Penguins.
The 5-1-1 record is the picture on the postcard, but it’s how the Wild arrived at those outcomes that is most memorable.
Take the first stop in Winnipeg. At the time, captain Jared Spurgeon and center Joel Eriksson Ek were hurt, a reminder how last season started when the Wild buckled under early injuries to key players. But, playing on the second of a back-to-back, they eked out a point in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Jets.
