With the calendar about to flip to the new year, fans at the Xcel Energy Center got to party like it was 2016 on Friday night. Exactly one year after Minnesota put the finishing touches on a franchise-record 12-game winning streak, the Wild looked every bit like the squad they iced last season.
For one night, at least, the sputtering offense Wild fans had been accustomed to seeing disappeared. Minnesota amassed scoring chances en route to a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators, one of the better teams in the league.
They took the game tonight by sticking to the formula that gave them so much success last year: Good goaltending, a defense that steers attackers away from the scoring areas, and a star performance or two.