Wild's continuing ups and downs still surprise

The enigma that resides in downtown St. Paul fooled us again. Or maybe surprised is a better word.

From lifeless to hellbent hockey in a flick of a switch, the Wild encapsulated its entire season — and its strange personality — in a Game 3 about-face against the Dallas Stars.

Game 4 is Wednesday, and if you're wondering which Wild will show up at Xcel Energy Center, it's pure guesswork.

I've given up trying to understand this team.

How can one team look so poles apart in passion and fight and togetherness? Never seen a group quite like this one, with its ability to look uninspired one moment and then bloodthirsty in a blink of an eye, as we witnessed Monday night.

Their mood swings belong in a medical journal, not on sports pages.

So now Game 4 brings drama and renewed excitement, as opposed to a death march toward the inevitable. An improbable 5-3 victory after digging a 2-0 hole gives the Wild hope, but that hope is only as good as the team's urgency level.

"For sure that gives us belief in the way we played," captain Mikko Koivu said. "Gives us confidence going forward."

The desperation the Wild exhibited over the final 50 minutes Monday can't subside. The Stars are too talented to relax even a smidge, and now the Wild has their full attention.

Lose Game 4 to fall behind 3-1 in the series and the Wild can start booking tee times and Caribbean cruises. The thought of winning three consecutive games — including two in Dallas — stretches the limits of reason.

But win again and the whole tone of the series changes. Who knows, maybe the Stars start to feel pressure as heavy favorites and allow doubt to creep in. The belief factor inside the Wild locker room would mushroom more.

"We really feel like we're in the playoffs now," Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said.

I can't recall a playoff team confounding its fanbase to the degree that this one has. Inconsistency and a leadership vacuum have contributed to the fragility of a team prone to streaks.

Win four, lose three, win six, lose seven. The Wild streaks more than a nudist.

"I just think that our guys trust each other now a little bit more," interim coach John Torchetti said. "Now we can build confidence from that win."

The proper blueprint reappeared in Game 3. The Wild smothered the Stars like grandma's hugs and didn't allow them to breathe. Offense came from crashing the net and keeping bodies around Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.

It truly is all about effort.

To which Wild fans scream in unison: WHY AREN'T THEY LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME?!

To be successful, the Wild needs every player pulling on the rope. Contributions must come from all lines and defensive pairings with maximum effort and focus.

The team's offensive limitations have been discussed to death. The roster is devoid of natural goal scorers so the margin for error is reduced.

Teams with more skill occasionally can survive playing on autopilot because they have scoring snipers to bail them out. The Wild's scoring tends to be a product of an effective forecheck.

There was a lot to like about the Wild's performance in Game 3. Every guy in the lineup made a contribution, big and small.

The Wild played a determined game with passion and purpose.

That's all fans want to see. A tough, hard-nosed fight.

The spark stemmed from Torchetti's challenge to certain players, namely veterans, to give more. Why it took that measure to ignite players in a playoff game remains a head-scratcher, but they responded with desperation.

Game 4 feels like another must-win. If the Wild shows the same amount of desperation and competitive spirit, a series that began in one-sided fashion will become awfully interesting.