Wild's new goal: a return trip to Dallas

Thursday, moments before boarding a plane to Dallas, Wild interim coach John Torchetti said his only concern was finding a way to get back home.

Now all he wants is another trip to the Big D.

Friday's 5-4 overtime victory in Dallas pulled the Wild within 3-2 in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Game 6 is Sunday at Xcel Energy Center. A Wild victory would force a return to Texas for a deciding Game 7.

"For me, we have two hours of work left," he said. "That's what we have to get done. We have to worry about [Sunday's] hour. We wanted to get back home. Now we want to play in front of our fans. … But we want to get back to Dallas."

The Wild has won two of the past three games, with captain Mikko Koivu getting the game-winner in each case. In the process, perhaps, they may have grabbed hold of some momentum in this roller coaster of a series.

But none of the players would admit to that.

"Like you saw [Friday] night, it can change quick," Koivu said. "I feel we've been playing a lot better, and that's what we need to do. But there are still things we need to improve. You have to get better as the series goes on."

But the Wild has shown a resilience in the past three games, and after Stars goalie Antti Niemi gave up five goals in Game 5, there is a good chance Dallas coach Lindy Ruff will be prompted to return to Kari Lehtonen, who started the first three games of the series.

"When you get behind in a series, there's a nothing-to-lose attitude," Ruff said. "When you get ahead and somebody takes a game from you, you start talking about momentum."

For what it's worth, history might be on the Wild's side. The Wild is 4-1 all-time in Game 6s at Xcel Energy Center, with the only loss coming against Chicago in 2014.

Last year, the Wild closed out a first-round series victory over St. Louis at home in Game 6.

"We're still trailing," Nino Niederreiter said. "But, at the same time, I feel we're on a good path right now. We know what we need to do [Sunday]. The biggest thing is focusing on the next step."