Wild Hoping For Another Boost From Fans In Game 4
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- At the X, it's a constant roller coaster of emotions for both the fans and the players, who say they have to maintain an even keel thruoughout the highs and lows of the playoffs. But as we saw Monday night in their comeback, players fed off the emotion of the crowd to get them back in this series.
It's a simple strategy: Score early, get the crowd into it and create energy to drive the team forward.
"If it's sitting in the stands or watching at home or whatever, everyone can tell when the rink gets electric," Wild forward Erik Haula said. "It's a lot of fun to play."
Make no mistake -- one of the great features of the playoffs is the back-and-forth. The Wild's punch will be followed by the Dallas Stars' counter-punch.
"There's lots of adjustments going on," Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk said. "That's the fun part and the exciting part about playoffs in a seven-game series."
In Game 3 the Wild found a way to move forward: Don't turn the puck over and let the Stars showcase their high-power offense. Dallas is an opportunistic team, so don't give them opportunities.
"In the first game, we had the puck before every one of their goals, whether it be a turnover or just an errant pass," Wild defenseman Ryan Suter said.
Head Coach John Torchetti said Zach Parise is week-to-week, while Thomas Vanek is day-to-day. Vanek believes he's close, but not there.
"I just need time, and there's not a whole lot of it right now. So just keep pushing it and see where it goes," he said.
Game 5 is Friday night in Dallas.