Wild Reach Playoffs Against All Odds

On this day, the 15th of April, everything could end up in place in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs. This included the Minnesota Wild, who had a number of chances to clinch, and while they didn't get in entering this day, they kept moving closer and closer. On this Tuesday, the Wild were finishing the regular season, playing Game #82. They faced off against the Anaheim Ducks, and I swear, I can't watch a Ducks/Wild matchup without thinking of 2003 and how this was somehow the Western Conference Final that year. All Minnesota needed was just one point--get to OT.

However, the Ducks, who were playing for a .500 finish, had some other plans. Anaheim led 2-1 very late, and it really looked like Minnesota would have to rely on the Golden Knights/Flames result. That is, until Joel Eriksson Ek tapped one in with 20.9 seconds left. That did it. Overtime was inevitable, and when it became official, the Wild got the one point needed to get into the playoffs. In the overtime, Matt Boldy won it for Minnesota.

Hard to believe that the Wild have existed for 25 years now, but thanks to one NHL season being locked out, this is their 24th season of play. We all remember their magical run to the West Final in 2003, but they haven't achieved anything close to that since then. Even so, this playoff appearance does continue an impressive stretch. Beginning with the shortened 2012-13 season, the Wild have only missed the playoffs twice. 11 playoff appearances in 13 seasons, that's not bad. Even though the runs haven't been long, that's still not bad.

It's been a struggle for the Wild this season, mainly because they've played just over half of their season without their young star, Kirill Kaprizov. Kaprizov, who is already in his fifth season, missed 42 games this year, but still made quite an impact for the Wild. In 40 games played, Kaprizov had 56 points (25 G/31 A). Ironically, he was the only main player to put up a point per game. Joel Eriksson Ek had also missed his share of games, but has 13 goals in 45 games, with four of them coming in one game against the Sharks very recently. The points leader ended up being Matt Boldy, who finished with 71 points (26 G/45 A).

The main centerpiece of the Wild's season has been Marc-André Fleury, who completed his final regular season of his storied career. Fleury adds just 13 wins to his storied and eventual Hall of Fame career, giving him a grand total of 574 wins, trailing only Martin Brodeur on the all-time wins list. Brodeur, Fleury, Roy. All from Quebec. All three-time Stanley Cup Champions. All iconic. And for one last time, Fleury will have the playoff spotlight, something he is definitely used to experiencing.

The Minnesota Wild have not only clinched a playoff spot for the 11th time in 13 years, they have also locked in the 1st Wild Card position in the Western Conference, pitting them against the Vegas Golden Knights, who Fleury was a part of during the team's first four years of existence, which saw them reach the Final Four three of those times, including the Cup Final appearance in Year One. We'll definitely see what the Wild are made of, and we will see if they can win a playoff series for time in a decade. It's been rough. This team was in the Central Top 3 for the longest time, but they dropped out and stayed out. They did stay afloat despite everything, and now, we'll see if they can stand tall against Vegas.