Seeler's blocks the turning point for Wild in win over Avs

DENVER -- In scramble mode, protecting a one-goal lead late in the second period, Minnesota had its third defensive pairing and its fourth line on the ice against the most explosive line in the NHL.
The Wild couldn't gain control of the puck, couldn't get a clear and certainly couldn't get a much-needed line change.
With its lead hanging tenuously, at best, defenseman Nick Seeler took center stage.

In one of the gutsiest sequences you'll ever see, the blueliner blocked a trio of shots -- including one final blast by Avs defenseman Ryan Graves -- to provide the Wild relief.
"We needed someone to come in and quiet it," said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. "That turned the tide."
A minute and a half later, the Wild pushed its lead to two goals and never looked back in a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
"If that doesn't get you going as a team and as a player ... I don't think there is anything better than that," said Wild captain Mikko Koivu. "That was a booster for the third and brought everybody together tonight."

With fellow defensemen Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon, logging heavy minutes against Colorado's potent top line, the Wild's blueline was in flux all game. Jonas Brodin and Greg Pateryn were reunited to start the second period, leaving Seeler and Brad Hunt without a clear path to consistent shifts.
Seeler made sure to make the most of his late in the second in what his teammates -- to a man -- said was the turning point of the game.
"Just kind of doing everything I can to get in front of it," Seeler said. "It hit me in pretty decent spots. But we ended up getting the win tonight, which was most important going into break."
Eric Staal scored two goals and had an assist. Ryan Suter had a goal and an assist. So did Charlie Coyle. MIkael Granlund and Pontus Aberg each had two assists. Devan Dubnyk was outstanding, making 20 saves.
But it was Seeler awarded the "Hero of the Game" hat by his teammates afterward.
"Just gutty," said Foligno, who spent a few seconds looking for more appropriate phrasing. "And for lack of a better word, ballsy. It lifts you up and everyone just gets pumped up because guys are throwing themselves in."

So gutty was Seeler's series of blocks that Foligno stepped in front of a second Graves slapper moments later, with Seeler still peeling himself off the Pepsi Center ice sheet.
"Unbelievable," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "That word is used loosely a lot of times, but he had three blocks in a row, laying out his body. And once you start laying out your body like that, then you know that the team is committed and you know they have a good chance of winning that night.
"That's how I felt after that."

So inspired was the team, it got a line change, then on the very next shift, buried the Avalanche with a final-minute dagger, thanks to a pretty saucer pass from Zach Parise to Charlie Coyle for a one-timer.

All of the sudden, the Wild's tenuous one-goal lead was now a two-goal one.
Despite the fact that he was in pain on the bench, Koivu said Seeler deserved as much credit for that goal as anyone else.
"That's why we scored," Koivu said. "We blocked those shots then we went down and scored. That's the story of that last two minutes there."
Minnesota now heads to the All-Star break alone in third place in the Central Division, three points clear of both Dallas and Colorado. It enters as winners of three-straight games and in four of its past five overall.
And after what could have been a devastating loss to Anaheim last Thursday in St. Paul, the Wild answered with three-straight wins, all against teams currently inside the playoff bubble.
Two of them came on the road.
Gutty. Gutty. And gutty.
"That's what we wanted to do, come out with three good wins," Seeler said. "Especially going into break on a high note and feeling good about ourselves and that's what we did.
"Now, we're going to rest the body and keep it going after break."
Nobody earned that right more than Seeler, who may need a couple ibuprofen and a bag of ice on the flight home to Minnesota.
"All these guys ... I know they're looking forward to break, but we wanted to come out and do our jobs tonight and come out with a win," Seeler said. "We really focused our energies on that. It was a good win."
Related:
Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 5, Avalanche 2