SEATTLE — It’s been easy to be circumspect about the Wild’s playoff chances this season. Too many points to make up, too many teams to jump — not to mention injuries to key players and long competitive lulls.

But it’s getting more difficult to doubt the Wild, who demolished a Seattle Kraken team that started the night just one point behind Minnesota in the Western Conference standings, 5-2, late Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena.

Vince Dunn scored on the game’s first shot on goal, a slap shot from the point that beat Marc-Andre Fleury and gave Seattle a 1-0 lead just 36 seconds into the game. From there, it was all downhill for the Kraken.

Kirill Kaprizov had two goals and an assist, and Mats Zuccarello finished with four assists as the Wild won back-to-back road games for the first time this season. And if there was any concern Minnesota would lose intensity after a big 4-2 win Friday at Edmonton, it was soon quelled.

Matt Boldy scored his third goal in two games, and Fleury stopped 31 of 33 shots as Minnesota improved to 7-1-1 since returning from the all-star break on Feb. 7, beating Seattle in a game the Kraken badly needed to stay in the hunt for one of the Western Conference two wild card spots.

Seattle entered the game a point behind the Wild, and a chance to leap them in the conference standings with a win. Instead, they were effectively steamrolled at home. Not only did Minnesota put a little distance between them and the Kraken, they pulled even with St. Louis — a 5-1 loser at Detroit on Saturday — effectively tied with the Blues for ninth place, two points behind Nashville.

The Wild and Predators go head to head on Thursday in Nashville.

Dunn’s goal on a one-timer from the point was the fourth-fastest goal in the Kraken’s brief history, but the Wild almost immediately tilted the ice their way, scoring five unanswered goals to take control in the second period.

Jacob Eberle scored to pull the Kraken within 5-2 with 6:11 off the clock in the third period, but

Marcus Johansson tied the game with a wrist shot 4:59 of the first period, and Kaprizov scored from the corner on a two-man advantage at 13:22 to give the Wild a lead that was never seriously threatened.

Johansson finished a forecheck with a wrist shot that tied the score 1-1 at 4:59. Mats Zuccarello had corralled a loose puck and sent it to Johansson on the halfboard. He skated to the right faceoff dot and fired on net, skidding the puck underneath the right pad of Joey Daccord.

It was Johansson’s ninth goal in 57 games this season — he scored six in 20 games for the Wild last season — and first since he scored two in a victory over Washington on Jan. 23.

The Wild drew three first-period penalties and scored on a 5-on-3 advantage.

Already on a power play after Jaden Schwaritz was called for tripping Jake Middleton in the Wild’s zone, Minnesota got a two-man advantage when Jamie Oleksiak was called for a high stick with 1:14 still left in the first penalty.

Zuccarello and Kaprizov played catch behind the net for a few seconds, then Kaprizov raced to the corner and slipped the puck past Daccord to make it 2-1 with 2:14 left in the first period.

The Wild started the second period with 1:22 of a power play left over from the first and quickly made it 3-1 on Boldy’s backhander from the crease at 1:09. Kaprizov added another goal when he finished a rush by beating Daccord 5 hole at 2:14.

That was it for Daccord, pulled in favor of backup Philipp Grubauer, but the Wild scored again when, after Minnesota killed a power play, he scored from the point off while Seattle was scrambling in its own zone to make it 5-1 at 6:58.

It was Mermis’ third goal of the season, and first since a loss at Philadelphia on Oct. 26.