MINNEAPOLIS _ Aside from taking care of its own business, the Wild needed some help on the out-of-town scoreboard to climb into a playoff berth Tuesday for the first time since December.
And although it did its part, the team didn't get that assist from elsewhere in the league.
But if the Wild keeps playing like this, it may not be long before it finally snags a spot.
In the most meaningful game of the season thus far, the Wild tamed the Predators 3-1 at Xcel Energy Center � a win that didn't move it over the dividing line in the Western Conference but a result that did help the Wild gain ground.
With 73 points, the Wild hurdled Nashville and Arizona to sit a point shy of Winnipeg for the second wild card and Vancouver for the first wild card. A Jets win Tuesday night kept the Wild from jumping them, too.
Goalie Alex Stalock was almost unbeatable, snuffing out 37 shots the Predators directed his way for his 19th victory and eighth in his past 11 starts � steadiness that has pushed the Wild to the verge of a playoff position.
This was the first of three games for the Wild against the Predators to close out the season, a matchup that could very well determine each side's fate.
Nashville had the upper hand earlier in the schedule, nabbing two wins at home in October, but the Wild introduced a much-improved version of itself in the rematch.
Two of the team's goals came in a first period that was mostly dominated by the Wild, which secured its fourth victory in the last five games and is 10-4-1 over the past 15.
On just his second shift since returning from an upper-body injury that cost him five games, winger Luke Kunin was left alone in front of the net to bury his own rebound 4 minutes, 7 seconds into the first period.
Later in the period, the Wild's lead doubled on a highlight reel goal from � who else � but winger Kevin Fiala.
A day after being named the NHL's first star of the week, Fiala started assembling his case for an encore by toe dragging around a sprawled Ryan Ellis during a 2-on-1 rush and roofing the puck over goalie Juuse Saros at 12:04. The goal was Fiala's 21st and 12th over the last 15 games. It was also the fifth straight game in which he's scored a goal, tying the longest streak of his career.
The second period was scoreless, but it did feature a better push by the Predators. They outshot the Wild 9-0 at one point and would go on the power play three times, blanking on each try. The Wild finished 0-for-7.
But when action got back to 5-on-5 early in the third, the Wild upped its lead at 1:38 when winger Zach Parise pounced on a loose puck that bounced around the front of the net after a centering feed from Fiala.
Parise's team-leading 24th goal was his third goal in his last four games and rang up as his sixth point in that span.
As for Fiala, the assist counted as his 23rd point in his last 15 games. It also signaled his fifth straight multi-point game, a franchise record, and his five-game run is tied for the longest streak in the NHL this season.
The goal only became more significant after Nashville broke Stalock's shutout bid at 5:07 during its fourth of five power plays, a shot by winger Craig Smith after a Stalock rebound flew into the slot.
At the other end, Saros totaled 30 saves.
