"You don't want to be in that situation, but given how our season unfolded, I think in a way, it's given us confidence that we understand that until the final whistle is blown and there's no more games to play, we're gonna keep giving it everything we have and our best effort," Hammond said. "Fortunately for us, we've come out on top in a lot of those situations as well."
While Hammond is quick to deflect credit for the Wild's efforts in those situations, his teammates are just as hasty to point the finger right back.
It's Hammond's steadiness and veteran presence that helps calm the Wild when games are at their potential breaking point.
On Sunday, that came in the second period, when Iowa took three consecutive penalties, putting one of the American Hockey League's most potent offenses on back-to-back-to-back power plays.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead in the game, Iowa's penalty kill -- led by Hammond -- came up big and kept Chicago off the board.
"He's been unbelievable for us. He's been a rock back there," said Wild forward Luke Kunin, whose first-period goal was all the help Hammond would need. "He's made some huge saves that have bailed us out and a lot of times, you need that goaltending in the playoffs. He's done an unbelievable job."