With 16 games in 31 days, Wild faces busiest stretch of NHL season

Ready or not, here comes the busiest section of the Wild's season.

The team kicked off March on Tuesday with its first of 16 games in 31 days before another 16 games in April, a sprint to the finish line with few breaks; on only four occasions the rest of the way will the Wild have more than a day off in between games. There are also seven sets of back-to-backs, including one this week, and the Wild has a franchise-long nine-game homestand looming later this month.

Overall, the 12 games at Xcel Energy Center in March are the most for a single month in team history.

"We've been doing it our whole lives to get ready for games," defenseman Jordie Benn said. "There's zero excuses. If you're tired, drink a Red Bull. We've all played enough hockey to know that not every night you're going to feel the best. Any way possible, just get ready to go."

Already, the team has started to prioritize rest.

Before the final game on last week's road trip, the Wild neither practiced nor held a morning skate. Coach Dean Evason said the team could continue to make similar calls in the future.

"There's no playbook," Evason said. "It's just a daily thing that we will communicate with all the trainers and coaches and players. We have to communicate with them in order to see how they feel.

The Wild shuffled its lineup recently on the road and ahead of playing the Flames a second time, but one unit that's remained together is Kevin Fiala, Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy.

During the recent four-game swing through Canada, the trio combined for six goals and racked up 14 points. Those six goals accounted for more than 40% of the team's total output on the trip, and two of those tallies were courtesy of Gaudreau as the center continues to grow his career-best production.

"He plays sound defensively, but has a skill set that can move pucks and see people and distribute and shoot," Evason said. "It's been a real good line that we've liked here for a while, and hopefully it's going to continue for the rest of the season."

Captain Jared Spurgeon tied Nick Schultz for most games played by a Wild defenseman, skating in No. 743 on Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center.

With his next appearance, Spurgeon will also take sole possession of second place in career games played in team history. Former captain Mikko Koivu, who will have his No. 9 jersey retired on March 13, is first at 1,028.

Dumba, who has been dealing with a lower-body injury, hasn't played since Feb. 12. Winger Jordan Greenway (upper-body injury) is also sidelined but has skated.