On a night that could've easily provided a trap game and a tough-to-accept loss against the NHL's last winless team, the Wild pulled out a victory in their return to St. Paul after 11 days without a game at Xcel Energy Center.
In a tight-checking game Thursday that was far from thrilling, the Wild fended off the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team jump-started by the arrival of their new coach, the fiery John Tortorella.
But even an improved game from the Blue Jackets in the debut of Tortorella led to another regulation loss for Columbus, its eighth.