Wild Approach Season Opener With Playoffs In Mind
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Wild's 82-game regular season begins Thursday against the team they stunned in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche.
Fans gathered early at the Xcel Energy Center, where the team handed out coffee and souvenirs.
"It was just an unbelievable atmosphere," said Charlie Coyle, a Wild forward. "And the fans were into it, and they were cheering."
The Wild are starting this season with higher expectations and more potential to reach them than any big four Minnesota franchise.
Mikko Koivu, a Wild center, says the team's goal is to get to the playoffs.
"But in order to do that, you need to have a good regular season," he said. "And in order to have that, you want to have a good start."
Head coach Mike Yeo said that the season opener is a significant step towards achieving the team's goals.
With the playoffs being just the beginning of them, it's also to helpful for the team to remember what got to them to the playoffs last year.
"There was times, and I remember I think against [The Avalanche] and I think even the Chicago series, we'd go 10, 12, 14 minutes without giving up a shot on net," said left wing player Zach Parise.
It was a style of play Parise felt the Wild got away from at times in the preseason, where their play was a little too fancy.
Sometimes, you need a reminder.
"We have to understand and recognize early what made us successful last year," he said.