Of all the negative trends the Wild reversed during its late-season rally, one remained stubbornly, incorrigibly intact. No matter how much the team practiced and tinkered and obsessed over its power play, it continued to sputter near the bottom of the NHL rankings.
Special teams often figure prominently in the playoffs, and they promise to be a major factor in the Wild's first-round series against St. Louis. The Wild's penalty kill remains a jewel in its crown, with an NHL-best success rate of 86.3 percent. But in a playoff series against a stingy opponent such as the Blues, when five-on-five goals will be hard to come by, the importance of the power play is magnified — adding to the pressure on a Wild power play that is ranked 27th of 30 NHL teams.
The Wild enters Thursday's playoff opener with a dismal conversion rate of 15.8 percent. On the road, it is worse, scoring 12 goals on 108 chances for a success rate of 11.1 percent. The Blues have the league's fourth-best power play, connecting on 22.3 percent of its chances.
As big of a boost as the Wild could get from its penalty kill, the team knows an inept power play could be costly. Tuesday, several players said they looked at the playoffs as a chance to start fresh.
"Special teams are so important, whether it's scoring a goal, getting momentum or just not getting frustrated with it if things aren't going our way," said forward Jason Pominville, who plays on the first unit. "It's about putting it behind you and looking at what you can do on the next one to be better.
"[The Blues] have good special teams. We have the ability to be good as well. And we've just got to go out there and prove it."
Pominville said the Wild must concentrate on entering the zone cleanly, retrieving the puck quickly and getting pucks to the net on the power play. Other players noted the importance of winning faceoffs, capturing loose pucks and fighting for position in front of the net.
In a special-teams session near the end of Tuesday's practice, the power-play units worked on all of those facets. The Wild showed some life with the man advantage in its final two regular-season games, scoring on its only power-play chance at Nashville and going one-for-four at St. Louis.