The Wild had a tremendous first half in which they reeled off 27 wins, 59 points, a .720 points percentage, a plus-45 goal differential and the Western Conference’s most goals and fewest goals against.
But as much currency as that has created in the Twin Cities, nobody’s going to buy future Wild success this season unless the team proves something against The Benchmark, aka, the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sunday night at the Madhouse on Madison, the Central Division foes finally met for the first time this season, and the Blackhawks got to see what all the fuss is about.
The Comeback Kids from Minnesota did it again, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Blackhawks 3-2, to extend their road point streak to 12 games (10-0-2), matching a franchise record.
Jason Pominville, who hadn’t scored a goal since the last time the Wild lost in regulation on the road, snapped a 19-game goal drought with the third-period winner to help the conference – and division-leading Wild take a two-point lead on Chicago with four games in hand.
“It was nice to get one and help the team out in a good situation,” Pominville said. “I knew it was going to come.”
Nino Niederreiter and Chris Stewart scored second-period goals after Patrick Kane’s second goal of the game gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead. But the Wild, 19-2-4 in its past 25 games, stormed back to win its eighth consecutive regular-season game against the Blackhawks.
Pominville’s first goal since November 29 came when he found Marco Scandella’s rebound off the end wall at the side of the net.
It was the 13th time in 42 games that the Wild came from behind to win, something they accomplished nine times all of last season.
It was the 11th time the Wild won when allowing the first goal, something they accomplished five times all of last season.
Devan Dubnyk was huge in the second period, making 15 of his 33 saves to improve to 16-1-2 in his past 19 starts. He improved to 8-0 since joining the Wild against Chicago in the regular season.
On a night the Wild gave up a month’s worth of odd-man rushes – especially the Scandella-Matt Dumba partnership, which had a nightmarish game, it was the Blackhawks’ dynamic Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Kane line that gave the Wild fits.
They give most teams fits, but on this night, the trio threatened almost every shift they hopped the boards.
Kane accounted for Chicago’s first two goals. The first came on a 2-on-1 in which Dumba opted to go for a big hit at the Blackhawks blue line. That meant Scandella was left on an island by himself against Anisimov and Kane.
He paid attention to the puck carrier and motioned for the backchecking Niederreiter to skate toward Kane.
He didn’t, so Scandella was late to get over when Kane received the puck and beat Dubnyk with a fluttering, knuckling shot he partially fanned on.
In the second period, off a faceoff that saw Eric Staal overskated a puck sitting flat near the dot, Kane fired a shot that ramped up Dumba’s stick and past Dubnyk.
Kane’s goal came 27 seconds after Corey Crawford denied Mikael Granlund on a breakaway, then Jason Zucker on the rebound.
But the Wild fought back.
Charlie Coyle drew a power play, and in the 11th game out of the past 14, the Wild converted on the man advantage this time when Jonas Brodin’s shot stopped short at Granlund’s skates. Niederreiter excavated the puck and scored his 12th goal from Crawford’s doorstep.
That gave the Wild life, and the score would be tied at 2-2 less than five minutes later. The fourth line, which created momentum earlier in the period, got it done with Ryan Suter hit Jordan Schroeder with a pass into open space.
Schroeder caught up to the puck, raced into the zone and fed a wide-open Stewart, who whistled home his ninth goal.
Dubnyk was outstanding the rest of the way. Dumba and Scandella made life an adventure, serving up three odd-man rushes. But Chicago couldn’t convert.
On a late power play, Dubnyk robbed Kane and Marian Hossa and smothered Duncan Keith’s Grade A chance.

RESULTS
Capitals 5 Flyers 0
Devils 2 Canucks 1 (overtime)
Wild 3 Blackhawks 2
Blues 2 Ducks 1 (OT)