The Minnesota Wild hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday evening, April 15, to finish out their regular season. The Wild just needed to pick up a point to clinch a spot in the postseason, and they had a boost to their lineup as Jake Middleton and Jared Spurgeon were back after injury, but that meant everyone would have to wait to see the highly anticipated debut of Zeev Buium. They had Filip Gustavsson in net and looked to get things done. The Wild got on the board first, but the Ducks weren’t going down without a fight. It was tied most of the game, but the Wild came out with the overtime win. We’ll look at how things went, starting with the team’s resiliency. Wild Stay Resilient The Wild have had to battle all season, and against the Ducks, it was no different. Their postseason was on the line, and it was hard fought from start to finish. They’re a team known for their dramatic finishes, and this was no different. They looked like they had the game in hand, but then the Ducks came back and played tight until the end. Marcus Johnasson got things going with the first goal and gave his team a bit of an energy boost. Then, in the third, Joel Eriksson Ek stepped up in his favorite spot and knocked one in to tie the game late. That goal clinched the postseason for the Wild, and then in overtime, it was Matt Boldy who shined. “Forever grateful for those six guys that were on the ice with 20 seconds left,” said Jake Middleton about getting the tie in the final minute, and he continued, “We played well, that just wasn’t our fate, I don’t think. I think our fate was winning the game like we did, maybe it was fate to go to overtime and get Flower in the way we did too, so what an all-class move by Gus there too, very cool.” Wild’s Goaltending Tandem The Wild have been lucky enough to have great goaltending for most of the season, with some minor bumps along the way. Against the Ducks, it was no different, as Gustavsson didn’t have to make huge saves, but enough to keep his team in it. Then, he showed his true character as they went into overtime when he said Marc-André Fleury should take the overtime. The Wild had the best of both worlds when it came to their goaltending. Fleury came into overtime and made the big saves despite being right off the bench. He also finished on a better note than his last win and was truly honored. Marc-Andre Fleury, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) “First of all, for Gus to think of it in that sense, I was wondering what he was doing on the bench and talking to John Hynes, and then all clued in that just goes to show you the character in that room and the closeness between him and Gus. It’s a family in there and that’s what got us through the season, but I mean that was just an unbelievable regular season ending to Marc-André Fleury’s career….” said Marcus Foligno about Fleury and Gustavsson’s bond. Wild Do Have Things to Adjust While the Wild did clinch a spot in the postseason, they do have things to work on if they want to win more games. They have to have the early jump, communicate, and most importantly, win more faceoffs. They are a strong team, and now that they have their full roster healthy, that will give them a bonus. It’s not going to be easy, but going into the postseason on a win like this has to be motivating, especially getting their entire team involved, including both goaltenders. Related: Wild’s Marc-André Fleury Get Well-Deserved Masterton Trophy Nomination in Final Season “No, it will stay the course, I think there’s certain things… a little different in playoffs when you’re going into a series against one team but the reason why you have that messaging, have the identity is when you get in thse high pressure situations, sometimes you don’t play your best, but when you do and you stay with it, it gives you the best chance to win and that will be our focus,” said head coach John Hynes after the game about the upcoming postseason. Wild’s Final Regular Season Game With this win, the Wild have officially ended their regular season but will continue to play as they clinched a spot in the postseason. They’ll face the Vegas Golden Knights, and it won’t be easy, but they have all the momentum to end the season on a win like this. Hopefully, they can use these few days off to get some rest and be ready to go with full force this weekend.