Reason to Believe

Brock Faber wasn’t even a teenager the last time the Minnesota Wild had a chance to close out a playoff series on home ice. The then-12-year-old from Maple Grove was probably watching when the Wild defeated the St. Louis Blues at home in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2015.

Eleven years later, he’s one of the best defensemen in this first-round series, and Faber and his teammates will get the chance to make the same kind of history: Win Game 6 in front of the home fans in St. Paul.

“I can’t wait to hear that crowd, it’s going to be fun” Faber said, after the Wild’s 4-2 victory Tuesday night. “I’d play tomorrow (Wednesday) if we could. It’s going to be fun. 

“We've all bought into believing in the guy next to you and that he is going to do his job to the best of his ability.”

"Belief in our process and belief in what it took to get here and belief in the guys in the locker room that we have what it takes to get past the first round.” 

The Wild return home with an opportunity to not only win a playoff series but do it on home ice after a Game 5 victory put them ahead 3-2 in the series against the Dallas Stars. Their last series victory was in the first round of 2015, though they’ve reached the playoffs in eight of the next 10 years.

It could be one of the most important games to date in the careers of many young Wild players, who’ve played in the Olympics or World Championships. But this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, who’s only a couple of months younger than Faber and has started all five games of the series with a 2.05 goals-against average and .926 save percentage, said he hasn’t played in a game with “that type of magnitude” as the Wild will face in Game 6, “which is exciting,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to it so much,” Wallstedt said. “I’m super excited. These two last home games were electric. Hopefully, they (the fans) can bring that again, and we can play up to that level.”

The Wild already gave their fans something to believe in with the 4-2 win in Game 5 in Dallas. It started with the return of Mats Zuccarello, who was injured in Game 1 and missed three games. He didn’t waste any time scoring his first goal of the series, on a pass across the crease from Kirill Kaprizov for a 1-0 lead.

Matt Boldy continued his run of being a dominant offensive player with his fourth goal of the playoffs, on the power play. The Wild never trailed in the game, getting goals from Michael McCarron and Kaprizov adding an empty-netter to seal the victory.

After the game, coach John Hynes said the day-to-day focus is to rest, recover and get ready for Game 6.

“This one’s in the books,” Hynes said. “What we do from now until Game 6 is going to determine how we play, and our focus now is Game 6.”

That game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at Grand Casino Arena, giving fans one more chance in this series to cheer on their home team. It’ll be an earlier start time than the puck drop for Game 3, which was pushing 9 p.m. last week.

The majority of the 19,244 fans for that game in St. Paul, many of them waving “Unleash the Wild” rally towels placed on each seat in the house, stayed until the bitter end. Emphasis on “bitter” in this case, as the Stars’ Wyatt Johnston scored the overtime winner at 12:10 of double overtime at approximately 12:54 a.m.

“It’s 1 in the morning, and I don’t think anyone left the game,” said Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes. “Just special to be a part of, try to take it in.”

Wild fans, though disappointed its home team was staring at a 2-1 series deficit, showed up perhaps even louder a few days later for Game 4. The Wild trailed 2-1 in the third period, looking for the equalizer.

Fans were engaged throughout the game, cheering for offensive chances, showing appreciation for Wallstedt saves and chanting “Wally!” or “Boldy!” when circumstances warranted. The atmosphere felt like fans were ready to explode in jubilation if the Wild could tie the game. That’s exactly what happened when Marcus Foligno tied the game with 5:20 left in regulation.

“After Moose scored that one to tie it up, that was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard it,” Boldy said after the game. “They’ve been great, and we feed off that energy.”

If Boldy thought that was loud, the building reached a fever pitch when he tipped home the winner in the final minute of overtime. The “Boldy!” chants were back, too. Wallstedt felt the excitement at the other end of the ice.

“I almost touched the roof, I got so excited,” Wallstedt said.

It’s all part of the beauty of playoff hockey, Hynes said earlier in the series. The arena atmosphere is on another level from the regular season.

“Our fans are unbelievable,” he added. “It’s a great place to play. We’re sold out almost every night.”

“I think the energy that the home crowd brings to the home team sometimes can be an advantage.”

The Wild have found advantages on the road, too, keeping the crowd quiet. They went to Dallas for Game 5 treating it like a business trip, with a job to complete to get an all-important edge in the series. They’ve played well on the road all season, and they’ve played solid hockey at Grand Casino Arena as well.

Players continue to mention the confidence and belief they have in each other, and the confidence they have to play in whatever NHL building they find themselves in on any given night.

“We believe in ourselves and what we can bring to the team aspect of the game,” Michael McCarron said. "The more you play, the deeper the run gets, the more belief you have as a group. I think we are continuing to grow that with each win and each period and the way we play.”

One more win would take care of business in this series. Fans will undoubtedly be waiting to shout the roof off the building, figuratively speaking.

“We’re excited,” Boldy said. “We’re excited to get back in front of our fans. They’re been awesome to us. We know they’ll show up.

“It’s another job that we have to get done, for sure.”