Wild looking to reach a franchise first on Monday: A two-game series lead

On Monday night, the Wild have a chance to do something they've incredibly never done in their quarter-century franchise history: Take a two-game lead in a playoff series. After making a statement with a 6-1 win over the Stars on Saturday, the Wild have an opportunity to bring a commanding 2-0 lead back to Minnesota.

Yes, you read that fact correctly. The Wild have played in 18 different playoff series, not including this one, and have never held a 2-0 or 3-1 lead. The only time they've ever technically been up two games in a series was in 2015, when they beat the Blues in six games in the first round. But winning 4-2 isn't quite the same as having a two-game lead at any point during a series.

The other four series the Wild have won — two in 2003 and one in 2014 — were by a 4-3 margin. They've also lost 14 series and never led by more than a game in any of those.

In the 2003 first round against the Avalanche, the Wild won game 1, then fell down 3-1 before winning the final three to advance. In the next round against the Canucks, they overcame a 3-1 series deficit once more, only to get swept by Anaheim in the conference finals.

In the 2008 first round, the Wild had a 2-1 lead over Colorado before losing three in a row. In 2014, they were down 2-0 and 3-2 but managed to pull out a seven-game victory over the Avs. They never led the ensuing second-round series against the Blackhawks, which they lost in six games.

In 2015, the Wild led the Blues 1-0 and 2-1 on their way to a six-game win, but they never held a two-game lead within the series. They were swept by Chicago in round two.

Famously, it's been nothing but first-round exits for Minnesota since then — eight of them in ten seasons, to be precise. In the first few of those, the Wild never once led the series. Since then, there's been a lot of disappointment after early leads:

• 2020 vs. VAN: Wild up 1-0, lose 3-1 (COVID season qualifying round)
• 2021 vs. VGK: Wild up 1-0, lose 4-3
• 2022 vs. STL: Wild up 2-1, lose 4-2
• 2023 vs. DAL: Wild up 1-0 and 2-1, lose 4-2
• 2025 vs. VGK: Wild up 2-1, lose 4-2

In total, the Wild are 0-5 in previous Game 2s after winning the series opener, and are 0-5 in Game 4s when up 2-1. Creating separation in a series has been a major struggle.

Now, you may think this is bad energy to put into the world ahead of tonight's Game 2, and maybe you're right. But we're merely going over an interesting piece of information. Let us remind you that jinxes aren't real and the events of previous years should have no impact on this year.

Plus, with Quinn Hughes, this 2026 Wild team feels different than previous iterations. Young goalie Jesper Wallstedt also played quite well in his playoff debut on Saturday.

The Stars are a great team that's going to come out with all kinds of desperation on Monday, which is reflected in the fact that they're favored to win Game 2. But if the Wild get another strong outing from Wallstedt, and if star forwards like Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov continue to get to dangerous areas, they'll have a real chance to get to a position the franchise has never been in before.