The gap the Wild has to close in the Western Conference has been looming over the franchise ever since it was bounced out of the playoffs last season, fading in Game 7 after a burly first-round battle with the Golden Knights.
But the Wild has evolved to better withstand that standard of play and if its first impression following a significant trade deadline retool by General Manager Bill Guerin is any indication of what to expect this year, the team might make a different statement.
After acquiring a three-time Stanley Cup champion in goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for one of the boldest moves in team history, the Wild responded with a clean 3-0 win on Monday in front of 17,498 at Xcel Energy Center fittingly against Vegas.
"We've been a team that's getting put in this position for the way we've been working all season," Marcus Foligno said. "To have Billy trust us and believe in us and make the trades that he's made, it's exciting."
Fleury's new sidekick Cam Talbot ushered in this next chapter by blocking 28 shots for his second shutout of the season and 26th in his NHL career while also picking up a sixth straight victory.
In front of Talbot, Nicolas Deslauriers, Matt Dumba and Ryan Hartman supplied the goals with Deslauriers' tally coming in his team debut after a Saturday trade from the Ducks.
"Management brought the pieces that we needed," Deslauriers said. "I want to prove that I'm a piece that can help a lot."
This effort lifted the Wild into second place in the Central Division, one point ahead of rival St. Louis, and the promotion was the upshot of a steady 5-1-1 clapback to the rut that opened the second half of the season; the Wild's current three-game win streak is its longest since a six-game tear going into the All-Star break.