Optimism exists but so does some questions as Minnesota Wild begin playoffs

Minnesota Wild rookie left winger Kirill Kaprizov was a reason for the team's success in the regular season. The Wild open a first-round NHL playoff series in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon. Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Wild supporters, and fans of the state’s pro sports teams in general, have been down this road plenty of times before.

One of those franchises will put together a special regular season that invokes the dreams of a long playoff run that ends with a championship parade.

But, instead, postseason heartbreak has typically followed with the Minnesota Lynx being the exception over the past decade.

There’s no need to rehash the painful memories here, but enough of those…