Wild playoff-bound after win over Oilers, Avalanche loss to Kings

Instead of sticking around Xcel Energy Center, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau planned to head home to catch the rest of the Avalanche-Kings game Monday night.

"I'll go home, and I'll be like Jerry Tarkanian," he said. "I'll have a towel in my mouth, biting down on it."

The Wild's playoff hopes weren't dependent on that result, but the game did have the potential to clinch a berth for the team. And that's exactly what played out, as a 3-1 loss by the Avalanche secured a spot for the Wild in the postseason for the sixth straight season.

Currently, the team sits in third place in the Central Division with 98 points but it hasn't wrapped up that spot yet.

While it's impossible for the Avalanche to catch the Wild after its loss Monday, the Blues could mathematically tie the Wild if they win out and the Wild loses its final three games. In that scenario, the team with the highest combination of regulation and overtimes wins would prevail; the Wild currently holds that tiebreaker with 41, while the Blues have 40.

The Wild needs just one point to lock down the third seed, since that would put it out of St. Louis' reach, and that would solidify a first-round matchup against the Jets.

Although the Wild did receive some outside help to nail down a berth, it did set itself up for that situation by blanking the Oilers 3-0 earlier in the evening.

Here's what else to watch for after the Wild's win over the Oilers.

-Winger Zach Parise is on a roll, as he continued his strong play of late with a pair of goals Monday.

Parise extended his point streak to a season-high seven games and has potted four goals in the last three games.

"Our line is doing a good job," he said. "When you play with [Mikael] Granlund, you're going to get chances, you're going to get shots, you're going to get good scoring opportunities. And [Mikko Koivu's] so reliable defensively, and I think an underrated thing about him is that he wins the draw the majority of the time. So we start with the puck a lot. That goes a long way. So, I think as a group, we're meshing really well together."

-Carson Soucy drew plenty of praise after the game for his NHL debut, and he deserved it.

Soucy logged 15 minutes, 26 seconds and had three shots on goal. What wasn't captured on the scoresheet was how smooth he looked on the ice, a performance that suggests he can help stabilize the Wild's blue line as it tries to recalibrate without Ryan Suter.

"It was awesome," Soucy said. "It was definitely nice to get that first one out of the way. I think a lot of the anticipation happens in the time leading up to it, so it was nice to get that first shift and that first game out of the way. Hopefully just move forward and then focus on the next few games here."

-Suter will not rejoin the Wild this season, which includes the playoffs, as he requires surgery to repair a right ankle fracture.