The Minnesota Wild started March like a lamb, failing to win its first five games of that critical month and coming dangerously close to dropping out of the playoff race.

Famously demanding coach Jacques Lemaire was so incensed by the uneven effort midway through the slump that he accused his players of "cheating" themselves and their teammates.

Well, the message made it through. It took two more defeats, both by shootout, before the Wild started gaining ground in the Western Conference. Now it's 7-2-1 in its last 10 games, including six victories in regulation.

The last of those, a 3-1 win over Calgary on Thursday, was the biggest. It gave Minnesota its first Northwest Division title since the franchise was born in 2000, and a No. 3 seed for the playoffs.

"I'm really happy for these guys," Lemaire said on a night he picked up his 500th career coaching victory. "I know that it was a tough season, but I guess every team had a hard season. These guys, they work and they deserve it. They always can say that they were a part of this, too."

STARS' ZUBOV'S STATUS UNCLEAR: Dallas Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov had surgery this week in Berlin on a sports hernia injury, leaving his status unclear as the team prepares to face Anaheim in the playoffs.

WINGS' KOPECKY HAS KNEE SURGERY: Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Kopecky will have reconstructive knee surgery in two weeks to repair a torn ligament and will miss the playoffs.

FLYERS' BRIERE A SCRATCH: Danny Briere was scratched from Philadelphia's game against New Jersey on Friday night with the Flyers needing at least one more win in either of their final two games to make the playoffs.