Wild Mourns Loss, Eyes Playoffs in Final Stretch

On March 30th, the Minnesota Wild had a rollercoaster week, snagging one win but dropping two games, all while mourning a heartbreaking loss in their community.

NHL.com writer Jesse Pierce and her two kids tragically died in a house fire hitting the whole team hard.

On a brighter note, they welcomed back key players, Karyl Kaprizov, Joel Erickson-Eck, and Marcus Folenio to the lineup.

Earlier this week, the Wild showed flashes of their old speed and energy, but sloppy passes and slow starts kept tripping them up.

They've got four days off now to reset before diving back in as they push through this final stretch toward the playoffs.

Fans and analysts are calling for the stars to elevate guys like Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Erickson-Eck, Brock Faber, and the goalies, Philip Gustasen and Jesper Wallstead need to crank it up.

The tragedy has everyone rallying together, focusing on those bright spots amid the grief.

Looking ahead from March 30th to April 6th, they host the Vancouver Canucks Thursday, April 2nd, at 7pm Central Time.

Then a road back-to-back, noon Saturday, April 4th at the Ottawa Senators who are still chasing playoffs, and noon Sunday, April 5th, versus the Detroit Red Wings.

With these games testing their depth on short rest, the Wild can build momentum if they lock in that flow and get peak performances from the top guys, carrying them right into postseason contention.

That's the story for today, NHL News Today, driven by AI.