The Wild gave a dominant performance tonight as they finished a back-to-back with the Kings in overtime fashion to extend their winning streak to six games. While many fans started the season considering this a transition year, I think that after what we’ve seen, it’s fair to wonder what this team is capable of.
No longer is the main consideration how to best navigate the trade deadline and the considerations of expansion; instead, Minnesota sees themselves on the top of the Honda West division after 18 games in a 56 game season. After about a quarter of the season finished, the team is in a solid position from underlying numbers as well: the goal differential of plus-13 is tied for 6th in the NHL, and MoneyPuck set the Wild in the number one Power Rankings spot based on advanced analytics.