Wild Can Notch Playoff Berth Against Flames

The Flames will be fighting for their playoff lives so it won’t be an easy chore, but the Wild have to be riding high heading into their matchup.

The Wild recently got superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov back in the lineup and he made his presence known right away. In his first game back after over two months on the shelf, Kaprizov scored two goals and added an assist in an 8-7 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks.

It was an appropriately wild contest between the Wild and Sharks, one that Kaprizov returned to the lineup without missing a beat. One of his two goals was the overtime winner.

In 38 games played so far this year, Kaprizov has 25 goals and 30 assists for 55 total points.

With a 43-29-7 record on the season, the. Wild have performed well in Kaprizov’s absence, but recent weeks have been a bit more of a struggle. In the 21 games leading up to Kaprizov’s return, the Wild were riding an 8-10-3 streak and slowly sliding down the Western Conference standings.

Luckily for the Wild, they held on enough to still have breathing room between them and the Flames.

The Flames are the only team outside of a playoff spot in the West who still have a chance to reach the postseason. There are five standings points between the Wild and Flames, so it’s a long shot, but a lot rides on their meeting.

If the Wild clinch a playoff berth, it will be their 11th trip to the postseason in the last 13 years. While they're a usual suspect in the playoffs, they only have two rounds in those 11 tries.