Minnesota Wild: Keys For the Stretch Run
Feb 9, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Jason Pominville (29) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Vancouver Canucks at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Protect Home Ice
The Wild have one of the biggest, most loyal fan bases in all of hockey. The Xcel Energy Center is routinely packed. Despite this strong presence our fans have a reputation of smart hockey fans who need to see something good happen before we get loud. I definitely do not believe that to be true during the playoffs but I can’t say I’ve been to enough regular season games lately to judge.
Fair criticism or not, “The X” needs to be rocking for the rest of this season. It does not seem like crowd noise should have as big of an impact on hockey as it does in football but it still seems to matter. Between that and getting last change, home ice advantage is a real thing. For the Wild to get where they want to go it is an advantage they will need to harness.
The Wild have some home games coming up against some of the teams lower in the Eastern Conference standings. These are virtual must-wins, as the schedule the last week of the season is brutal. Wins tomorrow versus the Florida Panthers and Saturday versus the Carolina Hurricanes could prove pivotal come the end of the season.