The result counted the same as other Wild victories this season, banking the standard two points, but this was far from a run-of-the-mill outcome.
By outlasting Carolina 3-2 on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center — aka defeating one of the NHL's top teams and a bona fide candidate for the Stanley Cup — the Wild boosted its own credibility.
"That's a team over there with the same aspirations that we have this season, so it's a good measuring stick," goalie Cam Talbot said. "They've been building towards us for a long time, and for us to come out and play the way we did [Saturday], I think that makes a bit of a statement."
Tests like these aren't typical for the Wild. Of the seven games left in February, only one — a home game against Florida — features an opponent currently ahead of the Wild on the league's leaderboard based on points percentage.
What's more common is the Wild being someone else's barometer, a role reversal that starts Monday when the team plays host to Detroit.
"We have complete faith that we'll play the same way because we've seen it," coach Dean Evason said. "It'd be one thing if we went, 'Oh well,' when we've played teams that [have] less points than the team that we just finished playing and we overlook them or didn't give them the respect. Then maybe we'd have some concern going forward whoever we're going to play.
"But we don't have that concern because that is not our M.O. We don't do that. So, we have full confidence that the group will continue to do that."
This wasn't the first time this season the Wild prevailed against high-profile competition. Victories over Washington and Toronto had similar feels, and the team also upended the likes of the New York Rangers and Boston last month.
Unlike those shootout successes vs. the Maple Leafs (Dec. 4) and the Capitals (Jan. 8), the Wild was coming off a setback ahead of stymieing the Hurricanes — losing 2-0 at Winnipeg on Tuesday. Not only did the Wild respond by ending its goalless drought, racking up three in a row, but then the team weathered enough of a third-period rally from one of the best offenses in the NHL to preserve its lead.
"That's the most important thing after a loss is not to carry that on and on and lose five in a row like I think it happened [earlier] this year," said center Frederick Gaudreau, who helped the restart by scoring the game-winning goal and tallying an assist. "That's not what we want to see. We've got to put our mind in the present moment after a loss and just play the next one like it's the most important game of the season, especially against a team like that."
Even though the team bolstered its résumé Saturday, it still has plenty more opportunity to legitimize its ranking or improve it.
And since most of the remaining schedule is against clubs chasing the Wild, those are the matchups that are likely to dictate the season's direction.
"We can't let our foot off the gas," Talbot said. "We have to continue to play at a high level no matter who we're playing. Every team deserves to be here, and it doesn't matter where they are in the standings. You have to come out and put your best foot forward, and that's what's going to continue to grow our confidence.
"If we let our foot off the gas, you tend to lose a little bit of a momentum. So, we have to continue to put games like this together and we're going to come out on top more often than not."
