Wild's survival must come on road

CALGARY, ALBERTA -- It's make-or-break time for the Wild.

From the moment the Wild's schedule was released in the second week of July, this stretch of games leaped from the page like a defenseman being crushed by Cal Clutterbuck.

Over the next 31 days, Wild players will return to Minnesota for pithy stints that barely offer enough time to kiss the wives and girlfriends, hug the kids and do some laundry.

Of the Wild's next 17 games, 14 will be on the road, including the next six and nine of the next 10.

"It's pretty much the season. You've got to look at it that way," recent acquisition Dan Fritsche said. "What do we got, [23] games left? A huge six-game road trip like this, all these road games coming up after, we have to look at it as our season.

"We have a tough, tough rest of the year ahead of us, and we're going to have to really fight through it. It starts [tonight]."

Bluntly, there's no more intimidating site for the Wild to start the trip.

The Calgary Flames' Saddledome to the Wild is what kryptonite is to Superman.

Almost every time it steps foot on that frightening Calgary ice, the Wild gradually drains of energy until it ultimately succumbs -- usually in ugly or heartbreaking fashion, no in-between.

Since Nov. 7, 2003, the Wild is 1-12-2 in southern Alberta.

"We need a good start to the road trip," goalie Niklas Backstrom said. "I think it's pretty obvious for everyone how big this road trip is going to be."

Since starting the season 7-3 on the road, the Wild has won only five of its past 15 road games.

But even though the Wild is 18-11-5 at home, the team has lacked consistency all season at Xcel Energy Center. You just never know what type of performance the Wild will give, often playing up or down to its competition.

On the road, however, coach Jacques Lemaire believes the Wild prepares better because hockey is the focus.

"I don't know what's the reason for that," Backstrom said, "but we have played some really good road games, and had some really good road trips.

"We need it now. We knew this was coming since the summer. We're ready for it. We have to play the best hockey we've played."

The Wild is 13-9-2 in its past 25 overall and has points in four consecutive games (2-0-2).

"Lately we're playing well. Six out of eight points [in the past four], and against some tough teams," Clutterbuck said. "The key for us is just bringing that energy and bringing the spark that we had in those games against teams that are below us in the standings.''

The Wild stressed the importance of giving itself a cushion in the standings heading into this stretch. Instead, the team is in a traffic jam. The seventh-place Wild is three points behind fifth-place Vancouver and sixth-place Columbus and is in a four-way tie at 65 points along with Dallas, Edmonton and Anaheim.

That means the Wild can't afford losing streaks during this run.

"It's a lot tougher, too, at the end of the season playing on the road when you're in the grime of things, you already have injuries, and teams are playing their best hockey," Fritsche said. "It's going to be a battle.

"You want to go on the road and have fun with the guys, go out to dinner, stay relaxed. You don't want to stress yourself out about just hockey. You can't do that. At least I can't do that."

Clutterbuck calls it "healthy pressure" rather than anxiety.

"So many road games [offers] just another motivation, as if there wasn't enough already," he said. "If I was playing for the Atlanta Thrashers right now and I knew there was no chance of making the playoffs, these last 20 games would be tough.

"But we're right in the thick of things. You can't really ask for much more."

But Backstrom said the Wild can't be standings watchers.

"I think you'd go crazy trying to follow the standings," Backstrom said. "They change every day, probably like the stock market now."

THE NEXT 31 DAYS

17

Games for the Wild.

14

Road games (including the next six and nine of the next 10).

14

Games against teams from the Western Conference (including three vs. Edmonton and two each vs. Calgary, Colorado, San Jose).

4

Different time zones in which the Wild will play.

4

Sets of back-to-backs (two games in two days in two cities).