RALEIGH, N.C. _ To Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, every game the rest of the regular season are "do or die."
If that's the case, and probably is, the Canes did all the right things Saturday in a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at PNC Arena.
Teuvo Teravainen had a goal and two assists for the Canes (41-26-7). Jordan Staal and Brett Pesce scored in the second period and Andrei Svechnikov and Lucas Wallmark had goals in the third before Teravainen finished it off, ending a tough night for goalie Devan Dubnyk and the Wild (35-32-9).
Goalie Petr Mrazek won for the eighth time in his last nine starts, allowing a power-play goal to former Canes captain Eric Staal in the second.
At a time in the season when the pressure is building, points precious and playoff position at stake, both the Canes and Wild needed a victory Saturday. The Canes held the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and the Wild the second wild-card slot in the Western Conference.
Coming up for the Canes: a matchup Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens at PNC Arena, then a pair of games against the Washington Capitals. There is no letup in the schedule.
Saturday's game was the first between the Canes and Wild since the much-discussed January trade that had winger Nino Niederreiter come to Carolina in exchange for center Victor Rask. For Niederreiter, getting the win had to be sweet.
So, too, for Canes fans, who broke into a loud chant of "We want playoffs" late in the game.
In the second, Jordan Staal picked up his ninth of the season _ and second is as many games _ when a Justin Faulk shot hit Staal's skate in front of the crease and got past Dubnyk. Pesce then rifled a shot from the left circle off a Justin Williams pass and the Canes had two-goal lead and the crowd of 16,751 was loud.
The Canes killed off the first two minutes of a double-minor against Micheal Ferland for high-sticking, but Eric Staal then scored on a tight-angle shot to Mrazek's left, the puck glancing off Mrazek's leg and into the net.
The Canes had to kill off another penalty, against Jordan Martinook for slashing, before the second period ended.
Svechnikov's 19th of the season came on a well-executed setup pass from Teravainen.
After the 6-3 beating Thursday by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Canes wanted a strong start. The Wild played Friday in Washington, topping the Capitals 2-1, but forward Zach Parise was unable to go in the second half of the back-to-back after a collision with the Caps' Tom Wilson.
Dubnyk, back in net for a second straight night, had all the answers in the first period, turning back 11 shots. His biggest stop came late in the period, after Svechnikov broke in alone, only to have his backhand turned away.
