Wild Look to Bounce Back Before Brutal Stretch of Games

On Sunday night, we witnessed two things that almost never happen: the Wild lost at home and it was to the Avalanche. 

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Going into the game, Minnesota was 4-0 on the season against Colorado, including a 12-1 advantage in goals and 143-98 in shots. I am not surprised at the outcome of the game, a 3-2 loss for the Wild. Based on how the rivalry had gone of late and where the Avalanche are in the standings, they gave it all. Nice win for them in a more than hostile environment. 

They say it’s extremely tough to beat a team three times in a season. Five was probably too much to ask of the Wild.

What I was slightly surprised about was the loss at home. Since Devan Dubnyk’s arrival, Minnesota was 8-2-0 in St. Paul. 

The Wild were playing their third game in four days and the Avs were on the second night of a back-to-back. To say the least, it wasn’t a pretty game. For Zach Parise, it was a painful reminder of what losing feels like. 

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“We haven’t felt like this a lot lately,” he said. “We played one good period in Carolina [Friday] and got away with a win. I don’t think we played well throughout the whole game to get a win tonight. … We have to do a better job getting the puck to the net.”

To Ryan Suter, “It was just one of those nights.”

I can’t say I’m disappointed we won’t have to deal with Patrick Roy’s shenanigans anymore this season. 

Fortunately for the Wild, there’s always next game. Based on how insanely difficult the schedule turns on March 13th, two points are a must tonight against the 28-28-10 New Jersey Devils. After tonight, only two of the Wild’s final 15 games are against non-playoff teams. One of those two is the Kings. I haven’t looked into it, but I can’t imagine a team in the league with a tougher end-of-season stretch. 

Back in the dark age that was the first half of the season, Minnesota had a very tough time bouncing back from losses. Confidence was fleeting. Now the attitude is different, but head coach Mike Yeo expects nothing less than a challenge.

“It’s not that we didn’t think we had the ability to (bounce back) then, but I would say we’ve been a little more resilient lately,” he said. “I just know that (the Devils) are going to be a good test. You look at what they’ve been doing against some of the teams they’ve been playing against, they play with great structure and there’s certainly no quit in that team. We’ve got to make sure that we’re ready to go”

Minnesota sits in the first wildcard spot and if it ended today, they’d match up with Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs. The Ducks will travel to St. Paul on the 13th for the beginning of that difficult run of games. But first things first, the Wild have got to take care of business against New Jersey. The puck drops at the Xcel Energy Center tonight at 7:00.

Next: Wild Fans on Fire, Just Like Their Team

Mar 8, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Jason Pominville (29) complains to the linesman in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports