With less than a third of the season remaining, the Minnesota Wild find themselves in an enviable position, sitting ahead of much of the NHL rather than chasing from behind. Just a year ago, a playoff berth seemed like a distant dream, but the team has turned the tide.

Now, as they head into a two-week break for the “4 Nations Face-Off,” the Wild recognize the importance of maintaining their current trajectory.

“It’s a hard league,” winger Matt Boldy acknowledged. “It’s hard to get points. It’s hard to win. We’ve put ourselves in a good spot. [But] there are still a lot of games left to cement that spot and find our way into the playoffs.”

When the Wild resume play on February 22 against the Detroit Red Wings, they will be sitting comfortably above the playoff cut line in the Western Conference with 70 points, tied for seventh overall. However, playoff seeding remains a fluid situation. They currently occupy third place in the Central Division, trailing the Dallas Stars by only two points for second place while sitting 11 points behind the division-leading Winnipeg Jets. Colorado, just two points behind in the wild-card race, remains a potential threat.

While finishing in the top three of the division guarantees a postseason spot, falling into a wild-card position would mean facing a division leader without home-ice advantage. Given the Wild’s exceptional road record, this may not necessarily be a disadvantage. Their 20-7-3 away record is the best in the league, a stark contrast to their middling 13-12-1 home performance.

Overcoming Challenges and Looking Ahead

The Wild’s resilience has been evident throughout the season. They started strong, avoiding a regulation loss for their first eight games and maintaining an early lead for 19 consecutive periods +nearly 400 minuteshe second-longest season-opening streak in NHL history.

Goaltender Filip Gustavsson has been a key factor in the team’s success. After a subpar previous season, he has rebounded to an elite level, posting a 22-11-3 record with a 2.63 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage, and three shutouts. He even made history by becoming the first Wild goaltender to score a goal.

“Last year was more of a rollercoaster,” Gustavsson reflected. “More bad games for everybody. It was more up and down, and this year it’s been a little more even.”

Kirill Kaprizov, widely considered an early MVP candidate, has been instrumental in the Wild’s surge. Alongside longtime linemate Mats Zuccarello, his offensive production propelled the team into the upper echelons of the standings. However, injuries have taken a toll. A month-long absence for Kaprizov due to a lower-body injury hurt the team, even though they managed to win more than they lost in his absence. His return, however, was short-lived, as he was sidelined again for surgery, requiring at least another few weeks of recovery.

Additional injuries and suspensions further complicate the Wild’s roster situation. Jakub Lauko is expected to return to practice soon, while Ryan Hartman still has seven games left on a 10-game suspension. On the bright side, several Wild players will remain active during the break, with Brock Faber and Boldy representing the United States in the “4 Nations Face-Off,” while Jonas Brodin, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Gustavsson will play for Sweden.

Head coach John Hynes, who will serve as an assistant for Team USA, expressed his enthusiasm for the tournament. “It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” he said. “It’s really special. You’re around other elite players. The intensity of the tournament is going to be very fun. So, I think it’s two great opportunities: If you’re not going, you have a great opportunity to get away from it. But if you are going, it’s a special event, and I think everyone that goes there is going to take positives away from it.”

The Playoff Push Begins

When the Wild return from the break, they will face a crucial stretch of make-or-break games. While they have secured statement victories against top Eastern Conference teams such as Florida, Carolina, and Washington, they have struggled against some of the best teams in the West, going just 3-8 against Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Vegas, and Winnipeg.

Boldy acknowledged the uphill battle ahead. “It’s going to be tight. You see the points, how close everyone is all season long. It’s been kind of back and forth. That’s the nature of the division we’re in: Everyone’s so good, so every point matters.”

The NHL trade deadline on March 7 presents an opportunity for the Wild to bolster their roster. However, with limited salary-cap space due to lingering financial obligations from the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, significant moves may be difficult. The best boost to their playoff aspirations may simply come from getting their key players back to full strength.

Gustavsson remains optimistic about the team’s outlook. “Hopefully, everyone’s taking a deep breath and just realizing we’re in a good position. There’s still nothing to stress about. We just have to keep playing very hard and very strict to our game plan.”

The Wild have battled adversity to reach this point, and with a strong push after the break, they have a legitimate shot at securing a solid playoff position. The final stretch promises to be an exciting ride for Minnesota and its fans.

The NY Rangers appear to have broken out of their extended slump, and now they might just make things difficult for the rest of the NHL. While it might be a bit early to declare that the Rangers are back to their peak form, they’re finally providing fans with exciting hockey. After a period of uncertainty that had everyone on edge, they might be returning to the Presidents’ Trophy-caliber team they were expected to be.

This should come with plenty of scoring, and heading into Friday’s games, the Rangers have 144 goals, ranking 17th in the NHL. While that’s not bad, only one player has reached the 20-goal mark so far: star forward Artemi Panarin.

But will Panarin be the only one to hit 20 goals for the Rangers this season, or are there others in line? Although no one else is extremely close to 20, it’s likely that several Rangers will reach that milestone before the playoffs begin in mid-April.

One of those players is Chris Kreider, who, despite facing some struggles, is second on the team with 15 goals. With his playmaking abilities not as prominent this season, look for him to focus on finishing plays.

Kreider should continue to be a key player for the Rangers, especially when they are in the offensive zone, so it’s safe to expect him to reach the 20-goal mark.

Five NY Rangers players have a realistic chance to hit 20 or more goals

Following Kreider, the Rangers have two players with 13 goals and one with 14. Vincent Trocheck, with 14 goals, has been converting 11.0 percent of his shots, having attempted 222 shots this season. If he keeps firing the puck as he has been, it’s likely he’ll surpass the 20-goal mark.

Alexis Lafrenière and Will Cuylle, both with 13 goals, are currently on pace to score 22 goals if they continue their current form. While several factors will influence whether they reach that mark, with the Rangers looking like a hot team again, I’m optimistic that both players will surpass 20 goals by the end of the season.

Filip Chytil and Reilly Smith, with 11 and 10 goals respectively, are also in the mix. However, they’re on the fringe, and unless one of them goes on a hot streak, it’s unlikely either will reach 20 goals. But in hockey, anything can happen.

Overall, I’m predicting four more players to finish the regular season with 20 goals, contributing to what could be the NHL’s biggest comeback story. And if the conditions are right, we might even see as many as seven players hit the 20-goal mark.

Igor Shesterkin secured his second consecutive shutout with a flawless performance, stopping 20 shots as the New York Rangers cruised to a commanding 5-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Shesterkin, coming off a 27-save effort in Saturday’s 1-0 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, notched his third shutout of the season and the 18th of his stellar career.

The Rangers’ offense came alive, with Alexis Lafrenière opening the scoring in the first period, followed by Arthur Kaliyev extending the lead in the second.

Matt Rempe, Artemi Panarin, and Will Cuylle sealed the game with three third-period goals, giving the Rangers a resounding win and extending their impressive nine-game point streak (6-0-3).

Leevi Meriläinen was pulled after conceding two goals on 16 shots, with Anton Forsberg stepping in to make 10 saves for the Senators. Despite their best efforts, Ottawa’s six-game point streak (5-0-1) came to a grinding halt.

The Rangers seized control with two quick goals spanning the first and second periods, setting the tone for a dominant performance.

The opening goal came with just over a minute left in the first period when Adam Fox’s blue-line shot deflected off defenseman Artem Zub and rebounded off Meriläinen. Alexis Lafrenière pounced on the loose puck, slotting it into the net as Meriläinen was caught leaning in the wrong direction.

New York doubled the lead just 1:50 into the second period. A failed clearing attempt by Ottawa’s Nikolas Matinpalo was intercepted by Braden Schneider.

After a scramble, the puck trickled to Arthur Kaliyev, whose sharp-angled shot from the boards clipped Meriläinen’s glove and found the back of the net.

The Rangers turned the game into a rout in the third. Matt Rempe capitalized on a turnover, capping a fluid end-to-end sequence with a slick backhand finish for his second career goal at 3:34.

Artemi Panarin added a highlight-reel moment on a five-on-three power play at 9:01, rifling a wrist shot from the left circle that rang off the post and into the net.

Just 56 seconds later, Will Cuylle converted another power play opportunity, extending the lead to 5-0 and sealing a dominant victory for New York.