CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Brent Burns does not believe in turning points; he believes in the hockey gods, and they're relatively easy to appease.

"If you want to do the small things, and you do the small things, I've always believed the hockey gods repay you," the Wild defenseman said Wednesday.

"You see a dumb penalty, the team more than likely scores," he continued. "You see a penalty where the guy doesn't deserve it, or it's a good penalty, they usually don't score. I think it's just the hockey gods. I've always believed that since I was a kid."

This came as an explanation for the Wild's current 6-2-1 run, extended Tuesday with a 2-1 victory at New Jersey. It started Dec. 18 at Calgary in a game Minnesota needed to win. They did, 3-1.

The Wild went into that game after perhaps their worst loss of the season, a 3-1 setback to Eastern Conference also-ran Ottawa at Xcel Energy Center that dropped them to 14th in the Western Conference and seven points out of a playoff spot.

Since then, they've earned 13 points in nine games, climbed two spots in the standings and woke up Wednesday just two points out of a postseason spot.

"It's crazy," Burns said.

The Wild are starting to acknowledge that, perhaps, their fortunes are changing. Coach Todd Richards said he senses "a new positive energy and new positive attitudes" among his players. Veteran Andrew Brunette said the team seems to be narrowing in on an identity as a hard-charging team that can throw four lines at an opponent.

Consider that since Dec. 18, the Wild are 3-0-1 on the road, with victories at Colorado, which then led the Northwest Division, and Calgary, where Minnesota winning streaks once went to die. On Tuesday, they won at New Jersey for the first time in franchise history.

When the Wild went to Calgary the week before Christmas, they trailed the Flames by a point in the standings and were starting a home-and-home with their division rival, followed by a game against the Avalanche in Denver.

A loss at Calgary would have been a kick in the teeth; back-to-back losses would have been devastating.

"I remember thinking: 'This is a huge stretch for us; these three games right here, this could be our season,' " Richards said. "The way we responded up in Calgary, and then we come home and beat Calgary, then we go to Colorado and win there — again, signs of maturity and leadership and character all starting to come through."

Turning point?

"It depends on how we go forward," Brunette said.

Said Burns: "I don't think there's such things as turning points. I think maybe it's just everyone clicking, and once it starts, it snowballs. It was tough at the start, when you play one good game, then a bad one. You start throwing some wins together, everybody starts having more fun. It's looser, and it just keeps getting better.

"You play tight, you play scared, bad stuff happens, you know?"

Clearly, the Wild are loath to examine anything too closely yet, and that includes the standings. The standings are posted in the team's dressing room but mean little unless the team is winning.

"We were four points out of where we wanted to be last night," Richards said. "We're two points closer now. Really, that's all you can do. You can't worry about what's going on in Phoenix or Colorado.

"For the most part, if we take care of our business, we'll be fine."