Halloween was a fright for Wild, but November turnaround has been a treat

Rock bottom for the Wild was only a few weeks ago when they dropped a fifth consecutive game on Halloween eve. Their late collapse to Pittsburgh was one of the scarier sights of the season.

But after the Wild won two in a row over the weekend at Grand Casino Arena, and against two challenging teams no less, their nightmarish start feels like a lifetime ago.

“We’re back on track,” alternate captain Marcus Foligno said.

The Wild have recovered from their putrid October.

They’re tied for the best record in the NHL in November at 6-1-1. They’ve rejoined perennial contenders in Vegas and Edmonton on the Western Conference leaderboard and even caught up to Winnipeg in a Central Division that’s managed to become more of a logjam amid the emergence of Utah and Chicago.

“Standings can change so quick,” Kirill Kaprizov pointed out. “We were at the end. Now we go up. You can [win] five games straight, then three games lose and you go down again. It’s just part of hockey.”

But why the Wild have climbed out of a 3-6-3 hole suggests they can keep making up ground: They’re being rewarded for getting back to basics, the return to a no-frills style transforming the team’s competitiveness.

Not anymore.

Now, the Wild are striding instead of skidding, and their latest step was one of their most vindicating. After shutting out one of the top offenses in the league in Anaheim 2-0 on Saturday night with backup Jesper Wallstedt in net, the Wild overcame Vegas 3-2 in overtime Sunday in a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff series.

Twice the Golden Knights rallied on power plays from being down a goal, but the Wild played the exact way they needed to against a lineup like Vegas’ that combines grit with finesse: They stuck to their strengths with smart defending, quick transitions and a grinding attack that forces the opposition into mistakes.

“We’re not really a team that can just go out and play freewheeling,” coach John Hynes said. “We have a lot of talent, and we have the opportunity to, I think, lean on teams. So, it’s more of them not just trying to come out and outscore a team, but try to outplay a team and lean on the team and control territory and to be hard to play against.

“When you do that, you have to defend less. So now if you are defending, your details are better. Your commitment level is better.”

“When they enter the zone, we’re right on top of them,” goaltender Filip Gustavsson said. “We don’t give them as much space. Before, they come in and shoot around us and just had a lot of space there. Now, we’re limiting it. We really started to dig in on blocking more shots, too.”

The goalies are also doing their part.

Gustavsson and Wallstedt have combined for a .937 save percentage over the last eight games, with Wallstedt’s shutouts putting pressure on Gustavsson to keep pace.

“That’s a good goalie relationship,” Gustavsson said. “If he would have played bad … it’s not good for me. I like when he plays good because then I have to perform as well. Otherwise, I’m not getting as much playing time. So, it’s good.”

This headway during this homestand has been notable.

The Wild’s trek is far from over, but they’re on the right path.