The Minnesota Wild have had their share of good teams over the years, but they have rarely reached the level of legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Their only Western Conference Final appearance was all the way back in 2003. Entering this season, they had not played in the second round since the 2014-15 playoffs and were coming off eight consecutive first-round exits.
The latter point changed on Thursday with their 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars, sending them through to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs where they will play the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
It will be a daunting task to get through, but the Wild might have a chance.
If they do get through, the Stanley Cup might finally be within reach.
There are two players on the roster who are making it possible.
Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes giving Minnesota Wild legitimate chance at Stanley Cup
For as good as the Wild were during the regular season, finishing with the league’s seventh-best record, they are not a team without their flaws. The biggest of those flaws is down the middle at center where they do not really have the type of impact players most Stanley Cup winners have.
Top-line center Joel Eriksson Ek is an outstanding two-way player. But he is not a true No. 1 center from an offensive standpoint. He is not a “star” the way most Stanley Cup champions’ top-line centers are.
After him, there is a significant drop-off in scoring from their centers, and it was probably the one potential Achilles’ heel on the roster.
What the Wild do have is a pair of superstars at other positions who are capable of taking over games in winger Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Kaprizov has been in Minnesota for six years now and has quickly asserted himself as one of the best and most electrifying players in franchise history. He is a bona fide star, an elite offensive player and an outstanding franchise cornerstone. But for as great as he is, it takes more than one superstar to make a team a contender. You usually need a second star.
The Wild acquired that in the middle of this season when they swung the blockbuster trade for Hughes.
It is already worth everything they gave up.
Hughes scored two goals in Thursday’s series-clinching win, giving him eight points in the six-game series.
Combined with the nine points that Kaprizov had, and the Wild’s best players significantly outperformed Dallas’ best players.
It goes beyond the goal-scoring and point-production as well.
When Hughes was on the ice during five-on-five play, the Wild outscored Dallas by a whopping 9-1 margin.
When Kaprizov was on the ice, they outscored Dallas by an 8-1 margin.
When the two of them were on the ice together, they outscored Dallas by a 5-1 margin and had a staggering 66.9% expected goals share.
That is total domination, and when you have two players who can carry a game like that, it makes up for some shortcomings elsewhere on the roster. They are going to have a major test in the second round, but if Kaprizov and Hughes keep taking over games the way they have here, they have a chance to get through it.