The Wild found itself in a situation Thursday that it hasn't consistently been in this season: playing with a lead.
After going up 1-0 and 2-1, the team finally shrugged off the Coyotes for good 3-2 – a template for success the team would like to duplicate Saturday when it hosts the Hurricanes at Xcel Energy Center for a matinee matchup.
Puck drop is 1 p.m.
"It's tough playing catch up every night," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I think the two times we've had the lead both against Arizona in the third period, I thought we've done a really good job of containing in the last 10 minutes of the game. So we want to continue to do that."
What seemed to help the Wild Thursday was the chemistry that's developing among the players that have played on the same line for a handful of games now.
Take captain Mikko Koivu's unit, which racked up four points in the most recent victory. Winger Zach Parise had a goal and assist, and winger Kevin Fiala scored his fourth goal in the past six games against the Coyotes.
"I'd like to be able to at all times, to keep [the lines] together," Boudreau said. "At the beginning of the year when you're losing, you gotta experiment and see what's right. But now I think, not that we're winning a great deal, but we're playing better. So the lines are staying together."
Goalie Devan Dubnyk is expected to start Saturday afternoon.
