When the Wild restarted its season after a COVID-19 outbreak sidelined more than half the roster, the team could have been swallowed up by the adversity — especially after it was overwhelmed 4-0 in its return to action.
"I try to forget about those games," Ryan Suter said.
But the Wild didn't just rebound from the loss.
What happened next was a group that played its best hockey of the season and becoming the third team in the NHL this year to secure a playoff spot.
"It's been a great season," Marcus Foligno said. "It's been a lot of fun. A lot of big wins, some ups and downs, but a lot more ups, and that's a successful season."
The Wild officially clinched a playoff berth Saturday night with a season-high seventh straight victory, outlasting San Jose 6-3 to advance to the postseason for the eighth time over the past nine years. But the accomplishment had been in the works for months.
Since Feb. 18, the team's first game after that 4-0 letdown at Los Angeles, the Wild leads the NHL in points (53) and is tied for first in victories (25) with Pittsburgh.
Not only has the team never lost more than two games in a row in that span — or at all this season — but it produced win streaks of at least five games three times.