Wild needs to regain its home-ice advantage ... NOW

Normally, it would be the ideal situation: an NHL team, fighting for both a division title and a playoff berth, coming home to play eight of its final 13 games.

Home cooking, home advantage, home ice.

But, for the Minnesota Wild, home has not been where the victories are. This afternoon the Wild will face a red-hot San Jose team that has won eight in a row overall, six in a row on the road. This on Xcel Energy Center ice that has been a bit less than kind to the Wild of late.

Entering Saturday night's games, the Wild still had the 13th-best home record in the league (19-11-3). But over its past 10 home games, the Wild is 4-4-2. Minnesota hasn't won in regulation at home since a 5-1 victory over Anaheim Jan. 30.

There is no question home is where things need to change, quickly.

"These last two games were a wake-up call for us," Brian Rolston said of the Wild's two-game road trip to Carolina (regulation loss) and Atlanta (shootout loss). "It is imperative we start winning our home games."

Especially the way the Northwest Division is shaping up. Calgary, the Wild and Colorado -- which won again Saturday -- all have 80 points. Calgary is in first because it has a game in hand over both the Wild and the Avalanche.

And look at the Wild's four-game homestand: streaking San Jose today, followed by New Jersey, No. 2 in the Eastern Conference. After that? Los Angeles, then the first of three games against Colorado that the Wild has between now and the end of the season.

L.A. might look like a gimme, but the Wild had to go to overtime to beat the Kings 2-1 last Sunday.

"Everyone knows the importance of the games that are left," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "We ask [the players] to be as focused as possible to try to make the playoffs again."

Last season the Wild went 29-7-5 at home; only Calgary (30) had more victories on home ice in the NHL.

"It's a confidence thing," defenseman Nick Schultz said. "When you're winning that much at home, you feel you can't lose there. We need to get that confidence back."

But look more closely at the numbers. Of the Wild's 29 home victories last season, 12 came in overtime or in shootouts. That leaves 19 regulation victories. This year's Wild team has only five overtime or shootout home victories, which points out the minute difference between wins and losses. The Wild has averaged 2.5 goals in its past 10 home games and surrendered 2.6. Those numbers are close to its season-long averages of 2.68 goals per game for and 2.71 against.

One big difference is the power play. The Wild has struggled on power plays recently, both at home and on the road, until getting two power-play goals Friday night. But in its past 10 home games the Wild is 5-for-35 on power plays (14.3 percent).

Lemaire points out that the Wild had to win so much at home last year because road victories were so much harder to get.

"This year there is more balance," Lemaire said. "But still, it's got to be better than this."

Eric Belanger -- who was hit in the leg by a slap shot during Friday's game in Atlanta -- has been ruled out for today's game. So the Wild, already thin at the center position, called Steve Kelly up from the Houston Aeros of the AHL.

Kelly, 31, has 28 points and 81 penalty minutes in 47 games with Houston. He is third on the Aeros in scoring and has six game-winning goals. The 6-2 Kelly has appeared in 147 career NHL games with Edmonton, Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Los Angeles, totaling 21 points.

Lemaire said he wasn't sure whether Kelly would be inserted at center right away or whether he would move a winger into the center slot.

Defenseman Brent Burns, who has been logging some heavy minutes lately, was given the day off from practice.