ANAHEIM, Calif. _ When the Wild plays its next game Thursday, the standings are unlikely to look the same as how the team left them Sunday _ what with four of the clubs it's competing with in the Western Conference playoff race suiting up a combined six times before the Wild is back in action.
But after salvaging its three-game road trip in the finale Sunday by outlasting the Ducks 5-4 in overtime in front of 15,948 at Honda Center, the team at least softened a potential fall by reclaiming a playoff spot with its eighth win over the past 11 games.
At 77 points, the Wild sits in a wild-card position _ one point ahead of the likes of Nashville, Winnipeg and Arizona.
Winger Kevin Fiala scored his second of the game with 59 seconds remaining in overtime, this after Anaheim's Christian Djoos tied it at 4 with 1:42 left in the third.
Before that, center Alex Galchenyuk buried an errant Ducks pass that squirted to the middle behind goalie Ryan Miller 14:20 into the third. The period started with center Victor Rask pulling the Wild even at 3.
Goalie Devan Dubnyk finished with 22 saves in his first start in eight games. Miller had 25.
Before this trip started, the itinerary looked like a glorious opportunity for the Wild to bolster its wild-card case.
The three California teams are the three worst in the conference, and capitalizing on that mismatch could have been a slam-dunk scenario for a desperate team like the Wild.
But after a nail-biting victory Thursday in San Jose, the Wild was exposed by the Kings 7-3 and looked like it was headed for an encore until it tightened up in the third to bank four out of a possible six points on the trip.
Just like Saturday, the Wild gave up the first goal � falling behind in Anaheim 11 minutes, 18 seconds into the first period after failing to clear the zone. Rickard Rakell then fed a pinching Jakob Silfverberg, who sent the puck by Dubnyk's glove.
Only 44 seconds later, though, the Wild answered back.
Winger Mats Zuccarello's initial shot was blocked by defenseman Josh Manson, but Zuccarello scooped up the rebound and flung it by goalie Ryan Miller.
The Ducks issued a coach's challenge to determine if Miller was interfered with, since Galchenyuk's right skate clipped Miller's right pad. But the goal counted, with the NHL situation room explaining that Galchenyuk's initial contact occurred outside of the crease and did not constitute goaltender interference.
Because of the Ducks' unsuccessful challenge, the Wild went on the power play and took advantage at 13:33 on a blistering top-shelf shot by Fiala. He has 14 goals and 26 points over the last 18 games. Since Feb.4, Fiala's seven power play goals are the most in the NHL.
Overall, the Wild went 2-for-3 on the power play and Anaheim was 0-for-4.
A sag in the second by the Wild flipped the game in the Ducks' favor.
On just their ninth shot of the game, an attempt by Danton Heinen that defenseman Jonas Brodin appeared to get a piece of with his stick slipped between Dubnyk and the near post at 11:52.
And just 3:03 later, Silfverberg wired in his second of the game after a Wild turnover. It was the Ducks' third goal on 10 shots and second on as many shots.
The Wild escaped the rest of the period unscathed and was better to start the third, finding the equalizer just 1:49 into the frame on a shot off the rush Rask � who was making his first appearance in eight games after being a healthy scratch. The goal was his first since Dec.27, and it paved the way for Galchenyuk's second goal on the trip.
