ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — Wild general manager Bill Guerin and head coach Dean Evason face a very challenging limited salary cap situation this off season. On Tuesday, they talked about their plans for the makeup of the team, who will and won’t be on it, and discussed Kevin Fiala’s fate. “We want Kevin back,” said Guerin. “We’d love to have him back. I don’t know if that’s possible.” All signs say the franchise’s second highest single-season point-getter won’t be around next season. “I don’t live in a fantasy land either,” continued Guerin. “So we’ll see what we can do, and if we can’t do anyth ..read more

ST. LOUIS (AP) — It was a Jordan Binnington type of game. The St. Louis Blues goalie has earned a reputation as a clutch performer when the team has a chance to close out a playoff series. And he proved it again Thursday night. Binnington made 25 saves and the Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The St. Louis goalie improved to 5-1 in potential series-clinching games. “It’s just his demeanor, you know, he loves this kind of stuff,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak and Vladimir Tarasenko scored i ..read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Vladimir Tarasenko broke out for the St. Louis Blues with a well-timed natural hat trick, putting the Minnesota Wild in real trouble. Afterward, Tarasenko tried to shrug off the significance of his feat — with the singular focus of a player who was a major part of the run to the Stanley Cup championship three years ago. Tarasenko had three goals in the third period to pry open a tied game and series, and the Blues pushed the Wild to the edge of elimination with a 5-2 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night. “It’s not the time to think about any achievements. The biggest thing ..read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — The Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues are locked at two games apiece. That fact is a better indicator of how close the series has been than the total combined margin of victory, which is 15 goals. Head coach Dean Evason says throw that number out. “I can tell you from our end, the game’s we’ve won have been, you know, tight, you know, right til the end,” he said. “We don’t expect anything different. It’s hard fought. There’s some bounces.” It’s forward Nic Deslauriers’ first playoffs. Each shift he’s learning more about the opposition. “I think it’s good. You see ..read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – The Minnesota Wild are back on home ice Tuesday night hoping to take the lead in the Stanley Cup playoff series against the St. Louis Blues. The battle for Game 5 comes after the Wild had sky-high wins in Game 2 at the Xcel Energy Center and Game 3 on the road. The Wild were hoping for a sweep in St. Louis for a chance to clinch the series Tuesday on home ice, but now both teams are tied at two games apiece after the Wild lost 5-2 in Game 4. Herbie’s on the Park is hosting a pre-game party for fans ahead of Game 5. Fans can enjoy food and drink specials on the patio al ..read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — The Minnesota Wild’s loss Sunday evens the series with the Blues at two games apiece. They return home for game five Tuesday. Kevin Fiala’s second double minor for high sticking this series put the Wild on an extended penalty kill in Sunday’s first period. “Not a lot of space out there,” Fiala said. But Minnesota killed it while Marc-Andre Fleury faced a barrage of shots. “Unfortunate penalties. The two high sticking penalties were accidental. Having said that, we have to keep our sticks on the ice and we shouldn’t put ourselves in that position. But it really disrupte ..read more

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington didn’t lose any sleep when he was informed by coach Craig Berube that he would be starting for the first time this postseason on Sunday. “He’s always the same, he doesn’t give me much of a reaction,” Berube said. Instead, Binnington let his play do the talking. Binnington made 28 saves and the Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Sunday to even the best-of-seven Western Conference series at two games apiece. Jordan Kyrou and David Perron each scored twice and Ryan O’Reilly added a goal and two assists. Perron also had an assist for St. Louis ..read more

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots, and the Minnesota Wild beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series. Joel Erickson Ek had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Greenway, Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin also scored as the Wild improved to 8-8 all-time in Game 3s. Fleury, playing in a 16th consecutive Stanley Cup playoffs, earned his 92nd career playoff win. Ryan O’Reilly scored a power play goal and Ville Husso made 28 saves for the Blues. St. Louis lost Torey Krug to a lower ..read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The scoreless streak for the Minnesota Wild was pushing 70 minutes when they finally caught a break with a broken St. Louis stick. Joel Eriksson Ek got the game’s first goal a few seconds later, and the entire Wild bench jumped up in elation — with a bit of relief. Kirill Kaprizov had a hat trick and Eriksson Ek scored twice for the Wild, who snapped back at the St. Louis Blues with a 6-2 victory to even their first-round playoff series at one game apiece Wednesday night. “It’s for sure helping to build confidence, knowing you can take the lead and run with it,” Eriksson ..read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — David Perron was quarantined in his basement last year, listening to his kids run around upstairs and watching the St. Louis Blues get swept out of the first round. The 15-year veteran right wing sure showed his appreciation for being back in the playoffs. Perron had a hat trick and an assist to lead the Blues past the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Monday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, one year after COVID-19 kept him out of the postseason. “It’s been a long way coming,” said Perron, who’s on his third stint with St. Louis and posted the 14th three-goal game in fra ..read more