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Two losses last week weren't the only reason why the Wild hasn't been able to climb out of third place in the West Division.
The teams the Wild is chasing have been winning lately to stay ahead, especially the Golden Knights, but the Wild can slow down that momentum Monday when it hosts first-place Vegas at Xcel Energy Center.
"They're a good team," coach Dean Evason said. "We think we're a good team. They play the game hard. They play right, no different than the team we just played. It could go either way most nights."
Cam Talbot will be back in net for the Wild after backing up Kaapo Kahkonen on Saturday when the Wild rallied for a 4-3 overtime win against the Blues. Talbot is 2-1-1 this season vs. Vegas, and one of those wins was one of his best performances of the season – a 35-save effort in a 3-2 shootout win on April 1.