Bruce Boudreau: Minnesota Wild 'are going to make the playoffs'

Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau guaranteed a postseason berth for his team Thursday.

The Wild have reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons. Boudreau claimed Minnesota will push its streak to seven.

"I can tell you right now; I'm not Joe Namath, but we are going to make the playoffs," Boudreau told KFAN in Minneapolis. "And we're going to be somebody hard to deal with. ... I'm making that prediction right now."

Minnesota is 1-4-2 following the All-Star break, including a 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in its last game Tuesday.

The Wild (27-25-5) currently hold the second wild-card position in the Western Conference. They trail the St. Louis Blues by two points for the No. 7 seed, and lead the Vancouver Canucks by two points to maintain their current playoff spot.

Minnesota's path to the postseason is filled with obstacles, primarily due to injuries. Captain Mikko Koivu had surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, ending his season. Defenseman Matt Dumba also had surgery Dec. 26 to fix a ruptured pectoralis muscle and has no timetable for a return.

The Wild host the New Jersey Devils on Friday at Xcel Energy Center.