The Minnesota Wild are suddenly red-hot again.
No one saw it coming, but ever since Charlie Coyle was traded to the Boston Bruins the Wild have rattled off three straight wins, including Sunday’s 2-1 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues.
The hero: Ryan Donato, the forward the Wild got in return for Coyle.
“You could see right away when he got here, he’s got a quick release and it’s a heavy shot,” Wild forward Eric Staal said of Donato, via Wild.com. “And he’s not afraid to use it.”
Donato has a point in all three games with the Wild, and since he’s arrived Minnesota has jumped back into the playoff picture with 66 points, good for the second wild card in the Western Conference race.
Dallas (67 points) controls the first wild card while Colorado (65 points) and Arizona (63 points) are close behind.
The Wild will try to stay hot Tuesday night when they hit the road against the high-powered Winnipeg Jets.
