The Wild have proven that repeatedly.
“Nobody was happy with how October went and sometimes that lights a fire under you, and you have to look yourself in the mirror and find a way to be better,” Boldy said. “I think everyone in this room has done that. Everyone is having an impact on the game. For us to look ourselves in the mirror and come out of it and play the way we have been playing has been great.”
In this stretch they have defeated some of the top teams in the League. They defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime and the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche, the top team in the NHL, in shootouts. They beat the Edmonton Oilers, the reigning Western Conference champions, 1-0 in regulation.
“We’ve become more consistent in the way we want to play,” Wild coach John Hynes said before the game on Thursday. “In October, we were inconsistent. We had some really good games, and we didn’t follow them up the right way.”
The Wild have become one of the toughest teams to play against, gaining points and climbing up the standings. The Wild have earned 30 standings points since Nov. 1, a number topped only by the Avalanche and Stars, each of whom has earned 33. Amazingly, each of the three teams sit in the loaded Central Division.
“I’ll tell you what, guys stopped screwing around,” Guerin said. “Like, it’s as easy as that. You know what, you want to screw around with the puck and turn it over and make spin-o-rama plays and think you’re something that you’re not, it’s not going to work. I don’t care who you are, it’s not going to work.
“If you want to play big-boy hockey and manage the puck and be in position and do the things we’re supposed to do, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
Hynes says he could see the change coming in late October, but it firmly took hold in November.
“I’ve gone back and said that there are more and more guys at the end of October into November just individually playing and getting to their game,” the coach said. “It’s been a combination of the individual players finding and doing the things that make them really good players to help our team win and guys have committed to playing a strong team game.”
Quality goaltending has certainly helped.
Starting goalie Filip Gustavsson was unrecognizable in October, going 2-6-1 with an .892 save percentage. The Wild were forced to rely more than expected on rookie Jesper Wallstedt, who found his footing quickly.
Wallstedt is 7-1-0 in his past eight starts with .958 save percentage and a 1.36 goals-against average. That’s pushed Gustavsson, who is 7-2-2 in his past 11 starts with a .922 save percentage.