Tailgate block party to kick off Wild playoff series festivities

Community members and hockey fans are invited to participate in a tailgate block party being held Monday ahead of the Minnesota Wild’s playoff game against the St. Louis Blues.

The party, which is being held in St. Paul’s Rice Park from 5:30-8:30 p.m., is free to attend and will include music, activities, beer and wine. Some fans will also be grilling in their own tailgate spots after the team coordinated a lottery system to do so.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center.

RELATED: Wild and Blues face off start the NHL Playoffs

Monday’s game will be aired on Bally Sports North, ESPN and KFAN 100.3 FM.

The Xcel Energy Center on the morning of the first playoff game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues on May 2, 2022. Credit: Andrea Lyon/KSTP

The Wild will host Game 1 on Monday and Game 2 on Wednesday. If the series goes the distance, the Wild will have Game 7 on May 14 at Xcel Energy Center, where the team went 31-8-2 this season.

The last time the Wild had home-ice advantage in a playoff series was, fittingly, against the Blues in the first round in 2017 when they lost in six games.

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