But games in hand only matter if you win them. With 23 games left in the regular season, the game against the Ducks certainly isn't "must-win," but it sort of feels that way for a club that is looking for something -- anything -- to feel good about before it hits the road for two games in New York and Detroit later this week, before a rematch with the red-hot Blues on Sunday.
After that, the Wild's schedule becomes ridiculously difficult, with games in Winnipeg and Calgary, a home-and-road set against Nashville, games in Tampa and Sunrise, Florida, and then back home against San Jose all over the following two weeks.
Monday's practice at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center was about positive reinforcement for the Wild. Coach Bruce Boudreau wasn't ready to heap loads of praise on a club that lost 4-0 to the Blues on Sunday afternoon, but he wasn't prepared to hit the panic button just yet.
"I thought the mood [of the players] was upbeat out there," Boudreau said. "They had their 12 hours to sulk, but if you stay sulky, man, you're not getting anywhere. It's a tough business any time, but you've gotta feel like you're ready to start playing better."
Boudreau said Monday, and players did following the game on Sunday, that the Wild simply needs one spark to get things going in the right direction.
How it's going to get that spark is yet to be seen. But so often, one bounce or one break can make for a 180-degree turn.
Look no further than St. Louis. The Western Conference's worst team as recently as early January, the Blues turned to untested rookie Jordan Binnington in goal, and he's responded. The 25-year-old improved to 12-1-1 since his latest recall, posting a .944 save percentage and a 1.42 goals-against average. The shutout was his fourth during that stretch.
Not surprisingly, the Blues have rocketed up the standings, moving comfortably into third place in the Central Division standings following the win.
Is there something out there that can act as a similar catalyst for the Wild? That's Boudreau's top task in the coming days.
"You try to be able to create it through practice and things," Boudreau said. "It doesn't take much. It's getting to [the playoffs] and then anything can happen. And if you don't believe that, then there's no use even trying to get in. But we believe it and we'll fight right until the bitter end."
The Ducks come to St. Paul on the heels of a three-game homestand and an impressive 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals. Anaheim fired coach Randy Carlyle on Feb. 10 after starting the month 0-5 and being outscored by a total of 29-7 during that stretch.
Since General Manager Bob Murray also took over as interim coach, the Ducks have won two of three games. The game in St. Paul will be Murray's first road game as coach, a contest that marks the start of a four-game road trip for the Ducks that continues in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
Ryan Getzlaf leads the Ducks' offense with 27 assists and 38 points but is a team-worst minus-22 in 53 games played. Jakub Silfverberg has played in 50 games but leads the club with 15 goals.
With goaltenders John Gibson and Chad Johnson on injured reserve, veteran Ryan Miller and rookie Kevin Boyle have manned the crease. Miller's win over the Caps on Sunday was the 375th of his NHL career, giving him more wins than any other U.S.-born goaltender in League history.
