MINNEAPOLIS — The evening began memorably, with the Wild celebrating former captain Mikko Koivu by retiring his No. 9 jersey — the first player in team history to receive the honor.
But the Wild botched the encore, sputtering 6-2 to the Predators on Sunday in front of 19,009 at Xcel Energy Center to lose valuable ground in the Central Division playoff race at the outset of a franchise-long nine-game homestand.
With the win, Nashville matched the Wild's 72 points; the Wild stays in third place only because it's played one fewer game than the Predators. These teams will face off two more times, and both matchups in Nashville. The top three seeds in the division automatically advance to the playoffs.
