ST. PAUL, Minn. _ A 10-point lift up the standings from five victories wasn't the only souvenir the Wild returned home with after a seven-game stint on the road.
The team also arrived back at Xcel Energy Center with the moxie that guided its success, since the Wild either dominated their way to wins or rallied with an impressive resiliency.
But that swagger didn't show up on time, as the Wild tripped into a deep hole that they couldn't climb out of en route to a 5-2 setback to the defending Stanley-Cup champion Capitals on Tuesday in front of 19,101 _ their first loss in four games and just the third in the past 13.
It was also the team's first regulation defeat on home ice this season after starting 5-0-2.
This type of letdown wasn't unusual for a team in its first home game in 17 days, a potential trap on the schedule.
Still, the drop-off was a bit startling considering how competitive the Wild had been of late _ entering action a league-best 8-3-1 when giving up the first goal, which they did again to the Capitals.
Just 6 minutes, 33 seconds into the first period, defenseman Dmitry Orlov scored on a wind-up from inside the left faceoff circle.
The Capitals' energetic start was characteristic of a lineup that just added a fresh face.
Earlier Tuesday, winger Tom Wilson's 20-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Blues winger Oskar Sundqvist during the preseason was reduced to 14 games _ making him immediately eligible to play.
It didn't take long for Wilson to make his presence felt, literally.
Crashing the net late in the first, Wilson redirected in an Orlov feed at 19:32 before he and defenseman Ryan Suter collided with goalie Devan Dubnyk.
The contact knocked off Dubnyk's mask and although he looked shaken up and was evaluated on the ice, Dubnyk stayed in the game.
Wilson received a two-minute penalty for goaltender interference.
Dubnyk's workload didn't get any lighter; after the Capitals put 12 pucks on net in the first, they tested Dubnyk 15 times in the second and widened their lead only 3:13 into the frame on a backhander from winger Andre Burakovsky.
While the Wild overcame deficits in three of those recent road wins, the team never fell behind by three.
Washington also wasn't easing up, at one point outshooting the Wild 21-6, but eventually the Wild shifted the action to the other end of the rink. And not long after a power play expired, the team finally converted on a shot from captain Mikko Koivu at 11:57 that trickled by Capitals goalie Pheonix Copley and over the goal line.
Immediately following the ensuing faceoff, winger Marcus Foligno fought Wilson and, in the aftermath, the Wild applied more pressure.
Winger Jason Zucker cut to the middle, Copley fought off his backhand attempt. He also turned aside another backhanded shot by defenseman Matt Dumba.
In the third, the Capitals widened their lead.
Orlov chipped in another, one-timing an Alex Ovechkin pass on a 3-on-2 rush at 7:23 to cap off a three-point night, and Warroad's T.J. Oshie tacked on a fifth with 10:12 to go.
On their fifth power play, the Wild finally capitalized on a shot from Dumba at 14:08 and finished the game 1-for-6. Washington went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
Copley totaled 26 saves to backstop the Capitals to their eighth straight win over the Wild. Dubnyk had 28.
