Everything that could’ve gone wrong has gone wrong in the past five days for the Minnesota Wild and with just 11 games to go they are eight points back in the fight for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
What’s gone wrong in the past week?
The Wild got blanked 6-0 by the Kings last Wednesday and then lost in overtime to the Blues on Saturday. All the while the team they’re chasing, the Vegas Golden Knights, rattled off wins over the Kraken, Blue Jackets and Blues.
That sets the stage for the final 11 games of the season to be desperation mode for Minnesota. According to MoneyPuck, the Wild has a 6.7% chance to make the playoffs. Vegas has a 90.8% chance.
Minnesota basically has to get super hot and hope the Golden Knights slump to end the regular season.
Entering play Tuesday, Vegas has 85 points. The Blues are at 80 points and the Wild has 77 points. It’s grim, but the good news is that Minnesota plays its next five games at home, including a date with Vegas this Saturday.
Vegas, meanwhile, plays six of its next seven games on the road – and they’re not easy road games. They play in Nashville, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Vancouver and Edmonton. Four of those five, with Minnesota being the exception, are currently playoff teams.
It’s a grim outlook but the Wild still have time to make things interesting.
