Since then, Minnesota has gone 3-1-1, winning the last pair of games on its mammoth road trip and its first contest back at home Friday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
The club's last six games, including the contest in St. Louis, have all been decided by a goal, and four have gone to overtime or a shootout. The last time the Wild was involved in a game decided by more than one goal was when it beat Pittsburgh 6-2 on Nov. 25.
"We were kind of on the opposite end of that last year where we weren't winning these games and then you get down into March and February and you're wishing you would have," said defenseman Matt Dumba after Friday's win against Edmonton. "It's awesome seeing us bear down in these situations."
Minnesota, which remains winless against St. Louis in two games this season, will face a Blues roster stacked with some of the most underrated talent in the Central Division up front. Vladimir Tarasenko leads the team with 31 points in 28 games this season, and in 15 career games against Minnesota, he has 12 points.
The Blues' 16-8-4 record, good for second-best in the Central, hides their mediocre record away from the Scottrade Center. Though they're 12-1-3 at home, they're 4-7-1 on the road. Entering Sunday's game, St. Louis will be coming off its fourth road win of the season against the New Jersey Devils.
Sunday's game also marks the first time former Wild head coach Mike Yeo will stand behind the opposing bench at Xcel Energy Center. The Blues' associate coach is set to take the reins from head coach Ken Hitchcock beginning next season.
Yeo went 173-132-44 and led the Wild to three Stanley Cup Playoffs in four-plus seasons as coach.
"I'm not sure what I'll be feeling, but I think we're all competitors and we've all faced change at some point in our careers," Yeo told NHL.com when asked about his return. "Once the puck drops the game is on ... the attention turns to your group."
