LAS VEGAS _ The Wild showed up on the Vegas Strip like most do, with more to lose than gain.
A loss would have undoubtedly done irreparable damage to their bid at a playoff berth, while a win _ although helpful _ didn't guarantee they'd close the gap.
But that scenario at least remains a possibility after the Wild kept their flickering playoff hopes alive by outdueling the Golden Knights, 3-2, Friday in front of a visitor-friendly crowd of 18,492 at T-Mobile Arena to sit four points shy of the Avalanche for the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with four games to go.
Colorado upended Arizona, 3-2, in a shootout earlier in the evening, a worst-case scenario for the Wild since both teams they're chasing earned points. The Avalanche now have 85, while the Coyotes have 82 _ just one more than the Wild's 81.
All the Wild could control, though, was their performance against Vegas, and that was solid.
Goalie Devan Dubnyk was steady, making 32 saves, while the offense resurfaced thanks to goals from defenseman Greg Pateryn, center Eric Staal and winger Kevin Fiala. The latter two came on the power play.
Only 2 minutes, 12 seconds into the first period, the Wild capitalized on a goal-line shot by Pateryn that banked off Vegas goalie Malcolm Subban's pad and into the net. It was an opportune time for the third-pairing defenseman to record his first goal of the season, as the Wild hadn't scored in their last four periods and were an encouraging 18-6-3 when they went ahead 1-0.
The team continued to pressure Subban and skate with a desperation that matched its situation. At the other end, Dubnyk was air-tight _ covering up for turnovers and making a clutch sliding save to get to the near post to stop a Reilly Smith one-timer.
And on a late power play in the frame, the Wild doubled their lead when Staal deflected in a blistering shot from winger Jason Zucker _ a score that uncorked an audible cheer, as Wild fans invaded the arena and were vocal all night.
Those two, again, combined on the power play in the second, setting up Fiala for a shot that he lifted over Subban amid a scramble in front at 11:22. The goal was Fiala's third with the Wild, snapping a 10-game drought.
This was also the sixth time in the past eight games the Wild have converted at least on the power play. The team finished 2 for 4, while Vegas went 0 for 2. Subban racked up 29 stops.
Before Fiala's goal, Dubnyk made easily one of his best saves of the season _ stretching out to get his glove on a wraparound attempt by winger Mark Stone. At that point, it looked like he could be unbeatable the rest of the way.
But the Golden Knights finally landed a puck behind him with two minutes remaining in the second, a put-back by center Paul Stastny off a rebound.
If that wasn't enough to create a tense vibe for the third, another Stastny goal did the trick. He had a tap-in at 8:52, a finish that underscored how much better the Golden Knights' push was becoming.
But the Wild held on for their fifth victory in six all-time games against Vegas, an outcome that could end up being irrelevant or help the Wild defy the odds.
For now, though, it heightens the importance of the Wild's next game Sunday when they go head-to-head with the Coyotes.
