MINNEAPOLIS — The Wild is on a climb to reclaim the top seed in the Central Division, while the Canadiens have sunk to last place in the NHL.
Just how far apart those two directions are trending was captured Monday night in front of 18,104 at Xcel Energy Center when the Wild crushed the Canadiens 8-2 for its third consecutive victory and sixth in its past seven games.
Rookie Connor Dewar potted his first NHL goal, nine players overall had at least two points and goaltender Cam Talbot made 14 stops through two periods before leaving the game in what was his first start since sustaining a lower-body injury at the Winter Classic. Kaapo Kahkonen made five saves in relief.
