Wild’s consistency paces the NHL after clinching another playoff berth

The Minnesota Wild secured their place in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. Minnesota’s win puts them at 42-22-11 and sends them to the playoffs for the 12th time since 2013, more than any other team in the NHL.

The Wild became the fourth team to clinch a postseason spot this year, joining Central Division contenders like the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. All three clubs have consistently ranked among the league’s top five teams.

Minnesota reached the milestone after missing earlier clinching opportunities, relying on a stellar performance from Matt Boldy, who scored his 39th and 40th goals of the season. Boldy also picked up an assist, recording his fifth multi-goal game of the year and becoming, alongside Kirill Kaprizov, the first duo in franchise history to each reach 40 goals in a single season. Kaprizov, who leads the team with 83 points, contributed a goal and an assist.

Additional offensive support came from Ryan Hartman, who scored twice, while Mats Zuccarello provided two assists. In net, Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves, earning his 100th win with the Wild and continuing a strong season in which he has won twice as many games as he has lost while allowing just over 2.5 goals per game.

Minnesota defenseman Quinn Hughes, acquired in a midseason trade from the Canucks, snagged an assist to reach 46 on the year, setting a franchise single-season record for a defenseman in just 43 games with the team.

The Wild now own the league’s longest active streak of consecutive winning seasons at 14 and have reached the postseason 15 times in their 25-year history. However, postseason success has been elusive, with the team failing to advance past the first round since 2015.

Although history might suggest otherwise, this year’s group has positioned itself as a contender. Still, due to the playoff format, Minnesota is likely to face a difficult path, potentially needing to defeat both Dallas and Colorado to reach the Western Conference Final.

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