Wild has more than two wins — it has a formula that's working

The start of the season has been a best-case scenario for the Wild — and not just because the team has two wins in two games.

By debuting on the road, the Wild continued to sync after a summer shakeup, and some of the new additions have already made a difference on the ice.

"Completely agree," coach Dean Evason said. "You want to see your group play hard for each other and with each other, for sure. But to get rewarded, to reinforce that we're not only doing the right things systemically but we're doing the right things together as a group, yeah, it's obviously nicer to win than lose."

How the Wild emerged 2-0 from its weekend in California could also explain the cohesiveness.

After falling behind in the opener Friday at Anaheim and losing a key player in winger Marcus Foligno to the penalty box for 17 minutes, the Wild rallied.

Not only did the team get a timely boost from its power play, but Foligno capped the 2-1 comeback in stunning fashion — scoring the winning goal with 7.2 seconds to go.

"Character win," is how winger Kevin Fiala described it.

"These few games show our system is sound," said defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, one of five newcomers in the Wild's lineup. "We can still make adjustments and grow our game, but I feel like we're playing as a team really well right now."

Kulikov and Jon Merrill, another free-agent acquisition, matched up against the Kings' top players.

Evason also utilized the fourth line, which includes rookie Brandon Duhaime, at important times. Alex Goligoski, who took Ryan Suter's spot on the top defensive pairing, logged nearly 20 minutes both games, and center Frederick Gaudreau notched his first goal with the team on Saturday.

"We already felt at camp that we would have a tight group," Gaudreau said. "Then after we went to Duluth, that was a great thing and then starting on the road like that and getting four big points for sure helps. It's huge."

Add in the contributions by the familiar faces, and the Wild is undefeated through two games for the second straight season.

"Goalies don't usually play back-to-backs too often anymore," said center Ryan Hartman, who had the decisive goal against the Kings. "It is early, so he felt good. He looked good, as well. He's calm. He's collected. He makes the big saves when he has to, and that's what you need from your starting goalie."

Plenty more hockey is on deck for the Wild, outcomes that will shape the true trajectory of this season.

So far, though, the team is pointing in a positive direction.