The Minnesota Wild have turned their home ice into a deafening, discouraging place for opponents to play in the playoffs.
For the second straight game, they dominated the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Nino Niederreiter hesitated for just a moment after scoring the winning goal, not sure whether what he just saw had actually occurred.
It happened, all right. His Minnesota teammates suddenly skating over to mob him made the moment real.
Surging into and out of the Olympic break, the Minnesota Wild have created a significant cushion between them and their competitors for the two Western Conference wild-card playoff spots.
That's not enough. With five days before they play next, this was still a game they were worried about -- and had to win.
T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund scored 51 seconds apart during St. Louis' four-goal third period, leading the Blues to a 4-1 exhibition victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night.
With precious little space left under the salary cap, the Minnesota Wild were looking for another experienced, puck-moving defenseman.
Keith Ballard was seeking a fresh start, and thus the match was made.
The Wild signed Ballard to a two-year, $3 million contract on Friday and also re-signed defenseman Jared Spurgeon to a three-year, $8 million contract.