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It was a magical October for the Minnesota Wild, the third-year expansion team that currently is tied for the highest point total in the National Hockey League. The upstart Wild are putting the puck in the net, scoring 3.3 goals a game and ranking 10th in power-play percentage. In recent days, they have escaped with dramatic overtime victories against Western Conference contenders Colorado and San Jose to boost their record to 8-2-2-0.

Until this October, scoring hadn't been the fledgling franchise's strong suit. The Wild ranked dead last in goals and power-play percentage in their debut season in 2000-01, barely tallying two goals a game as the new kids on the block. A year ago, the lowly Wild averaged less than 2.4 goals a game and were 20th in power-play conversion. They weren't able to connect on a single overtime goal in 2001-02, going 0-9-12 in overtime games.

Oh, what a difference a year makes. While the Wild rank last in the NHL in shots per game in 2002-03, they erupted for five goals to shock Boston in their season opener, 5-1. Then they eked out a 2-2 tie in St. Louis against the more-talented Blues. The Wild didn't absorb their first loss of the season until their fifth game on October 19, against Detroit, the defending Stanley Cup champions. Three nights later, however, they rebounded for their first overtime win since March 4, 2001. A power-play tally in the extra session by veteran Cliff Ronning secured a 4-3 win over Calgary, the Wild's first overtime victory in 29 tries.

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