Wild forces Game 7, where it hopes another franchise hero can be made

ST. PAUL -- Andrew Brunette in 2003. Darby Hendrickson a round later. Nino Niederreiter in 2014.
Some of the most iconic goals in Wild history have been scored in Game 7s. It's where legends are made. And after a three-goal third period in a do-or-die third period, the Wild could have another player etch his name into the minds of fans in the State of Hockey following a thrilling 3-0 win to force a decisive final test in Las Vegas on Friday night.
Buckle up, Wild fans. Game 7, here they come.

Minnesota hasn't played in many of these ultimate scenarios, but when it has, it has managed to come away victorious.
In 2003, Minnesota rallied from a pair of 3-1 series deficits, scoring Game 6 victories that forced Game 7s on the road in hostile environments.
Not unlike what the current edition of the Wild faces when it heads back to T-Mobile Arena for a fourth game in 12 days.
"It feels like just a second ago, it was 3-1 and you're down in the dumps and trying to get back in this thing," said Wild forward Zach Parise, who started the rush that led to Minnesota's first goal. "And now it's one game and see what happens."

Before every Game 7, however, comes a Game 6 survival, a mode the Wild has been in since it lost 4-0 in this very building just a few nights ago.
At that point, Minnesota was down 3-1 in the series and it was headed back to Nevada. The Knights had all the momentum and home ice on their side.
But oh how a couple days can change the fortunes of a playoff series.
Vegas, the last team in the NHL to cough up a 3-1 series lead (to San Jose in 2019), will have a three-hour flight home on Thursday to think about how things have gone south for the second time in the past three seasons.
The Knights may very well win this series, and in that case, it would be the 32nd time in NHL history a club had rallied to force Game 7 after trailing 3-1, only to lose. But at the least, Minnesota has burrowed inside the heads of Vegas.
After Ryan Hartman's goal broke a scoreless tie four minutes into the third period, you could almost see the shoulders inside Vegas' white road jerseys slump just a little.

After Chandler Stephenson's apparent goal was wiped away a few minutes later - for goaltender interference, ironically - the momentum swing was palpable.
When Vegas challenged the ruling and lost, putting the Wild on the power play, one Minnesota would score on to take a 2-0 lead, that was about all she wrote.
Nick Bjugstad would add a late goal to send Xcel Energy Center into a frenzy.

"It's an elimination game, and those type of games are just a game of mistakes. It's who's going to budge first," Hartman said. "You've got two teams, one fighting for their lives more than the other, but they're playing just as hard. They don't want to have to play another game and we're fighting for our lives.
"Like I said, a game of mistakes and when you get your opportunities, you gotta put it in the net, and Cam [Talbot] played great back there as well."
For the Wild, its sudden resurgence has started with the play of its goaltender, who stopped 23 shots on Wednesday to earn his second shutout in this series.
"I think with the way Cam has been playing the last two games, he's got them feeling the way Fleury had us feeling for a little bit," said Wild forward Zach Parise. "I'd like to think we've got a little bit of momentum going into that seventh game."

Minnesota's impressive stick-to-itiveness has been strength of the group all season long. After not losing three consecutive games until Games 2, 3 and 4 of this series, perhaps it's not surprising that it has responded with a pair of wins in the most must-win of scenarios.
"I think the players deserve a lot of credit for just believing, and believing in each other, and I think that's been the key -- not just in the playoffs, it's been the key from Day 1 with this group," said Wild coach Dean Evason. "They've played hard for each other, they've stuck together and tonight was no different."

That mentality will be tested one final time in this series on Friday night in Sin City, where the Wild is expecting a very similar game to what it saw in Game 6.
Whether the result is the same, only time will tell.
"Game 7s are awesome," Parise said. "I've been a part of a handful of them, and they're a lot like tonight where no team wants to give up anything. It can be tough to get through the neutral zone. Not a lot of opportunities to score. I think that's a little preview of what we're going to see in Vegas."
Related:
Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 3, Golden Knights 0