Analysis of the Minnesota Wild’s Playoff Chances
By Nick Fritz
Fans are anxiously waiting for the Minnesota Wild to make a run at a wild card spot, just like they did last year. But it’s getting late and at this point a lot of things have to go right for that to happen. With just thirty-six games remaining, just what kind of a run is it going to take?
First, a quick overview of who gets in the playoffs. Sixteen teams will earn playoff births, eight from each conference. There are two divisions in each conference, each with seven or eight teams. At seasons end, the three teams with the highest point totals in each division receive automatic bids. Those are the first twelve. The other four come from wildcard births. These are given to the two teams in each conference with the highest point totals that didn’t earn a top-three spot in their division.
After a hard-fought overtime loss in Detroit, this is what the playoff picture looks like.
With Nashville. St. Louis, Chicago and Winnipeg all at least thirteen points ahead, the central division is out of the picture for the Wild. They would currently finish third-to-last in the western conference.
If there’s hope it’s hope that the Wild can grab the second wild-card spot. I would feel a lot better about that happening if there weren’t four teams ahead in that race. And you know the Kings are going to make a run.
Also, it’s not easy to move up in the race when other teams are winning at a high rate, too . A five-game streak doesn’t mean as much when the teams in front are all winning three or four of five themselves.
That’s why upcoming match ups with Calgary, Los Angeles, Dallas, Colorado and Vancouver are going to be huge. The Wild need to not only earn boatloads of points but also keep the teams ahead of them from earning points.
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Long story short, it’s not looking good. There is a chance, but it would require the Wild to do something they haven’t been able to do all season: win at an elite level. Around this time last year, Minnesota had a stretch of 14-3-3 that vaulted them into the first wild card position. But according to averages over the last few years, the last place wild-card spot usually requires around 95 points. In the thirty-six games remaining, Minnesota would have to earn 49 points to hit that number. That would require a record of around 20-7-9 over the final stretch. Again, not looking good.
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Jan 19, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save as Minnesota Wild forward Kyle Brodziak (21) looks for a rebound during the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports