Rand: It's time for Wild to foil Chicago curse

The reason for the Wild wanting to defeat the Blackhawks in this upcoming NHL playoff series is basic, when taken in the context of just this season. Win and advance, with a chance to take home the Stanley Cup. Lose and go home to play golf while others pursue the ultimate dream.

(Yes, you are welcome for the refresher on how the playoffs work.)

In the bigger picture, though, this series with Chicago could have lasting implications for both franchises, particularly if we think about the teams in the context of the Twins and Yankees.

You're probably painfully aware of the baseball history, but as a refresher: The Twins from 2002-10 reached the postseason six times. Those teams varied from pretty good to very good, but a few of them in particular seemed primed for postseason runs.

In four of those six years, though, the Twins matched up with the Yankees in a division series. It was the luck of the draw, based on how MLB's playoff format shook out, but New York went from an annoying behemoth to a true nemesis in the span of eight years.

In 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2010, the Yankees eliminated the Twins. In those first two series, the Twins actually won Game 1 in New York before losing the next three in both cases. By the third go-round, in 2009, the Yankees had a mental hold (and numerous baseball advantages) over the Twins and swept them rather handily. In 2010, the Twins actually had home-field advantage. It didn't matter; swept again.

Four series, a combined 2-12 record, and an era extinguished without much postseason payoff. The years that have followed for the Twins, of course, have included zero playoffs and a lot of losses.

Chicago has already snuffed out the Wild in back-to-back postseasons. Two years ago, it was a tidy five-game dispatching. Last year, Minnesota put up much more of a fight but was ultimately undone by some bad breaks (and a slightly better Blackhawks team) in a six-game series loss.

Now the teams meet for a third consecutive season. The Wild has more momentum than Jason Zucker carrying the puck in open ice and more confidence than Joe Mauer at a sideburns contest … but this is the Blackhawks, and the recent history means this series carries extra weight.

In addition, the NHL playoff format is such at that these teams could see a lot more of each other in the postseason over the next half-dozen seasons. That's why this series is more than just a step along a single-season journey.

Don't let this become a little brother-big brother relationship. Twins fans will attest: Once was enough.