Injuries cloud Wild's latest victory

Ryan Carter left the ice first, felled by a hard crash into the end boards in the first period. Only a few minutes later, Wild teammate Jason Zucker followed him up the tunnel, knocked out of Monday night's game against Vancouver by a solid check into the wall.

With two players gone — and lots of time remaining in a critical game against a Western Conference opponent — the Wild could have seen its winning streak stopped cold. Instead, it improvised its way to a 5-3 victory over the Canucks at Xcel Energy Center. Relying on the confidence and calm it has built over the past few weeks, the Wild earned its sixth consecutive victory by keeping its wits in a trying situation.

Though the streak was constructed primarily through defense, the Wild won this game with firepower. It seized a 2-0 lead on first-period goals by Jordan Schroeder and Jason Pominville, and Ryan Suter ended a 46-game goal drought by netting the winner on a power play at 7 minutes, 5 seconds of the second period. The Wild scored on five of its first 18 shots against Canucks goalie Ryan Miller, who was pulled after Kyle Brodziak's goal at 7 minutes, 59 seconds of the second.

Wild coach Mike Yeo said Carter and Zucker both have upper-body injuries and are not expected back in the lineup in the near future. In their absence against the Canucks, Yeo shuffled lines and plugged holes with players eager to take on extra work, as the Wild turned potential chaos into two important points.

"You never knew who was going out [on the ice]," said forward Charlie Coyle, who set up Schroeder to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. "Guys were playing different positions, but no one complained. Everyone was just doing their jobs, doing what they were asked to do. And that's why we got the result."

With the lineup in disarray, Yeo said he was surprised the Wild was penalized only once for having too many men on the ice. He was pleased to see his team adjust so smoothly.

"It was adversity we faced [Monday], but the guys kept plowing away," Yeo said. "Half the time, guys didn't know who was playing what position or who they had [to defend]. We made sure we were talking.

"I just think overall, it was a big win. But we have to make sure we put it behind us quickly."

That has been Yeo's message throughout the streak.

He wants his players to feel pride in the victories without allowing their egos to grow too much, lest they become too satisfied with themselves. There is too much work left to be done to secure a playoff spot, and Yeo found flaws even in Monday's performance.

Koivu had a season-high three assists. Nino Niederreiter scored a pretty goal off of one of those on his first shift with the Koivu line, replacing Zucker. Pominville ended a 12-game goal drought, while Suter scored for the first time since opening night.

Vancouver twice cut the Wild's lead to a single goal. Niederreiter and Suter answered, and the Wild played with discipline and heart as it defeated Vancouver for the sixth time in their past seven games.

As the Wild continues to push toward a playoff spot, one big game leads to another. The next is Tuesday night against the Jets in Winnipeg, and Yeo wants to see his team return to the defense-first mindset that has been its strength.

"We have another big one [Tuesday]," Koivu said. "We don't want to feel too good about this one or get too excited. We're still chasing."