The Wild already gave their fans something to believe in with the 4-2 win in Game 5 in Dallas. It started with the return of Mats Zuccarello, who was injured in Game 1 and missed three games. He didn’t waste any time scoring his first goal of the series, on a pass across the crease from Kirill Kaprizov for a 1-0 lead.
Matt Boldy continued his run of being a dominant offensive player with his fourth goal of the playoffs, on the power play. The Wild never trailed in the game, getting goals from Michael McCarron and Kaprizov adding an empty-netter to seal the victory.
After the game, coach John Hynes said the day-to-day focus is to rest, recover and get ready for Game 6.
“This one’s in the books,” Hynes said. “What we do from now until Game 6 is going to determine how we play, and our focus now is Game 6.”
That game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at Grand Casino Arena, giving fans one more chance in this series to cheer on their home team. It’ll be an earlier start time than the puck drop for Game 3, which was pushing 9 p.m. last week.
The majority of the 19,244 fans for that game in St. Paul, many of them waving “Unleash the Wild” rally towels placed on each seat in the house, stayed until the bitter end. Emphasis on “bitter” in this case, as the Stars’ Wyatt Johnston scored the overtime winner at 12:10 of double overtime at approximately 12:54 a.m.
“It’s 1 in the morning, and I don’t think anyone left the game,” said Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes. “Just special to be a part of, try to take it in.”
Wild fans, though disappointed its home team was staring at a 2-1 series deficit, showed up perhaps even louder a few days later for Game 4. The Wild trailed 2-1 in the third period, looking for the equalizer.
Fans were engaged throughout the game, cheering for offensive chances, showing appreciation for Wallstedt saves and chanting “Wally!” or “Boldy!” when circumstances warranted. The atmosphere felt like fans were ready to explode in jubilation if the Wild could tie the game. That’s exactly what happened when Marcus Foligno tied the game with 5:20 left in regulation.
“After Moose scored that one to tie it up, that was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard it,” Boldy said after the game. “They’ve been great, and we feed off that energy.”
If Boldy thought that was loud, the building reached a fever pitch when he tipped home the winner in the final minute of overtime. The “Boldy!” chants were back, too. Wallstedt felt the excitement at the other end of the ice.
