MINNEAPOLIS — The Wild's slump-busting victory over the weekend turned out to be a one-off rather than a fresh start.
After ending their three-game skid, the Wild were sent back to Square 1 on Monday when they were upended 2-1 in a shootout by the Panthers in front of an announced 17,453 at Xcel Energy Center to drop their fourth game out of the last five and seventh in 10.
Still, the Wild (61 points) held onto the last wild-card seat in the Western Conference. Their next test is a key Central Division battle on Wednesday vs. the reigning Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.
