WASHINGTON, D.C. – The race for the second and final wild card berth in the Western Conference got more complicated while the Wild was idle this week, with the Colorado Avalanche taking possession after tying the Arizona Coyotes at 78 points.
But the Wild can still jump both teams Friday to regain a playoff spot with a win Friday over the Capitals at Capital One Arena.
"We gotta take advantage of it," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It's up to us. It's up to the boys in the room. If they play the right way like we did against Tampa, good things are going to happen."
That the Wild still can control its destiny with just eight games left after falling behind the playoff pace may seem surprising, but this is exactly the position Boudreau expected the team to be in at this juncture of the season.
"The bottom line is at some point, when you're under 10 games to go in the season, you have to do it for yourself and you can't hope for somebody else," he explained, "because eventually, especially with the amount of teams that are playing, somebody's going to win."
Forward Matt Read joined the Wild on the ice Friday after getting recalled Thursday under emergency conditions. It's possible, though, his recall becomes the fourth and final recall if he plays and someone is a healthy scratch. Winger Pontus Aberg skated late Friday, along with defenseman Nick Seeler.
"That's a decision in the afternoon," Boudreau said. "I'll talk to [General Manager] Paul [Fenton] when he gets here and see what the situation is."
Projected lineup:
