Wild notes: Being better on the road is critical

DENVER – If the Wild wants to take the next step this season, it would behoove the team to earn home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

In last season's playoffs, the Wild won five of six home games but lost six of seven road games. So the way to get home ice?

"Be a better road team," Zach Parise said.

The Wild's first road game comes Saturday night at the familiar Pepsi Center, where the Wild won Game 7 in the first round last spring. The Wild routed the Avs opening night in St. Paul on Thursday.

"If the roles were reversed and we got pounded 5-0, I guarantee we'd come out playing the same team with a little more bite," Parise said. "We have to expect that from them."

The Wild went 17-17-7 on the road last season, climbing back to .500 with a 1-0 victory at Winnipeg in its final road game after losing nine of 10 on the road at one juncture of the season and being 6-12-3 at the turn of the calendar.

"It's about playing smart on the road. Sometimes it's boring," Parise said. "We can't be afraid to play boring. It's not terrible to be .500 on the road, but it's something we need to get better at. I just think as a whole somehow we need to win more road games to get to where we want to go."

While penalty killer Kyle Brodziak said the Wild has made a few minor tweaks to its PK, he said Thursday's success mostly stemmed from being more assertive and in Colorado's face, both as the Avalanche came up the ice and in the offensive zone.

"It was a good start," Brodziak said. "Last year was disappointing. We just couldn't get in a groove, and it was good to get a good start. We have to recognize the things we did well and stick with that same program. We have talked about how there are times the power play is going to score goals. That's the nature of it.

"But we can't let it faze us and change what we want to do."

Coach Mike Yeo is preaching more offense from his blue line this season and the team got off to a quality start Thursday with goals from defensemen Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon.

"We feel we have a group that can get involved in the play, a group that can also get back," Yeo said, referring to the mobility and skill set of the Wild's blue line.