WASHINGTON _ The Wild haven't made their push to the finish line easy, as they're currently stuck in a three-team race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
But what might give the Wild an edge is the fact they've done some of their best work amid the most difficult circumstances.
That trend persisted Friday, with the team knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals on the road 2-1 at Capital One Arena to leapfrog Arizona and Colorado and reclaim that second wild-card berth with 79 points _ one ahead of the Avalanche and Coyotes.
Center Luke Kunin broke a 1-1 tie when he went top-shelf off the rush 12 minutes, 25 seconds into the third period to secure the team's 20th road win of the season, a fitting conclusion considering Kunin's line with wingers Ryan Donato and Jordan Greenway was dynamic. The youngsters chipped in both goals and combined for four points, with Donato registering two assists.
Goalie Devan Dubnyk had 21 saves.
It was an outcome the Wild deserved since they challenged Washington the entire game to add another signature performance to a pile that already includes victories over the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs.
While the start was a bit sleepy, the Wild weren't as timid as they usually are at home where they have a knack for sleepwalking through the first period en route to a deficit.
And they were rewarded for being more engaged by opening the scoring on an impressive individual effort by Greenway.
After catching up to a neutral-zone pass by Donato, Greenway swooped into the Capitals' zone, cut around winger Tom Wilson and then bulldozed to the middle where he deked until wiring the puck by Washington goalie Braden Holtby at 16:33.
The goal was Greenway's first in 13 games, and his 12 overall rank fourth in Wild history for most in a single season by a rookie. It was also the team's first 5-on-5 tally in three games.
Donato's assist on the play notched the franchise's 10,000th point, and Dubnyk recorded a rare second assist.
In the second, the Wild was even more aggressive and had the Capitals scrambling at times _ a terrific effort and response to building a first-period lead.
Shift after shift, they pressured Washington and came close to growing their lead on one particular sequence in which they had three close calls: a shot by defenseman Brad Hunt, a tap-in attempt by winger Zach Parise that rolled through the crease and a puck off the post by Kunin.
The lone blemish on the period for the Wild was the Capitals' tying goal, a deflection by winger Brett Connolly off a Nick Jensen point shot at 10:42.
But that didn't seem to slow the Wild, as the team continued to test Holtby and ended the period with a power play. They blanked on the chance, their lone look with the man advantage, while the Capitals went 0 for 3, but that didn't drain the Wild's momentum.
Instead, the team continued to meticulously vie for the go-ahead goal _ which is eventually snagged courtesy Kunin. Holtby made 25 stops.
Kunin's goal bumped the team's production from rookies to 24 goals, which is tied for the fifth-most in the NHL. Donato's two-assist effort was his sixth multi-point game with the Wild and improved him to 15 points in 15 games with the team.
