That’s Wild
It was stressful for a little bit there but thanks to the Minnesota Wild’s gutsy win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night, they have increased the gap in the Wild Card and are more locked in a playoff spot.
During a terrible losing streak, the Wild were never in true danger but how the team was playing sent us all thinking about an eventual decline and this team having to scratch and claw back into a playoff spot as other teams come ready to fight. Now with the two points earned over the Kings, the Wild have an eight-point gap over the Vancouver Canucks with just 14 games left to play in the season. It feels a little bit more secure.
But it’s not like the Wild are this sleeping giant. They are playing mediocre hockey and depending on their depth like Ryan Hartman and complementary offensive wingers like Mats Zuccarello to run the entire offense. Are we just waiting until Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek comes back to truly feel alright about this team? Yeah, maybe.
- A whole lot of responsibility has been placed on Brock Faber. The young blueliner had a stellar rookie season and start to his sophomore year. And then the 4 Nations…and now his fatigue is showing. [Hockey Wilderness]
- Mats Zuccarello is showing that he still has it. While him leading the Wild’s offense might not last too much longer, he can still do it. [Hockey Wilderness]
- How an emotional Wild win showed the team’s resilience. [The Athletic]
Off the trail…
- NHL insiders debate playoff bubble teams, Stanley Cup finalists, awards, and more. [ESPN]
- Decked out in their St. Pat’s gear, the Leafs put out the Flames at home after a troubling stretch of play. [TheScore]