Wild Clinch Return to Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Minnesota Wild are returning to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Apr 9, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek (14) celebrates with forward Mats Zuccarello (36), forward Joel Eriksson Ek (14), forward Marco Rossi (23) and forward Kiril Kaprizov (97) after completing a hat trick on a power play goal against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild are heading back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just by forcing overtime with a last-minute goal against the Anaheim Ducks, the Wild clinched their spot in the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

The Wild have had an up-and-down season. They began the 2024-25 campaign as one of the top teams in the NHL standings. Injuries forced the team in a different direction, and they dropped from Central Division title challenger to Western Conference Wild Card.

Joel Eriksson Ek scores at 19:39 of the third period to put Minnesota in the playoffs

Wild will face Vegas

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 16, 2025

The last couple of weeks have been another up for the team, and the returns of Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov are huge lifts to the team's offensive game. The Wild managed to stay afloat without two of their most important forwards, but now the offensive burden can return to the top players as the postseason arrives.

With their offensive group getting healthy, the focus shifts to their defense and goaltending. Their starting goalie, Filip Gustavsson, reached 30 wins for the first time in his career, and his .916 save percentage ranks sixth in the NHL this season. His play has carried the Wild through their struggles, and he will be integral to their pursuit of the 2025 Stanley Cup.

This year's run is a bit more meaningful with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury playing his final NHL season. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has had an excellent 21st season at age 40. Over 24 starts as the back-up to Gustavsson, he's gone 13-9-1 with one shutout and a 2.97 goals-against average. The Wild would love to send the second-winningest goaltender in NHL history off with another Stanley Cup.

The Wild are set to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round. They last met in the postseason in 2021. The Golden Knights won the series in seven games, but it was the Wild's ability to come back from 3-1 in the series and force that Game 7 that captured the most attention.

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