Minnesota Wild struggle against non-playoff teams, raising questions about their playoff readiness. Are slow starts and cold secondary scoring threatening their postseason hopes?
Seth Toupal examines the Wild’s alarming trend of playing down to inferior opponents, reflected in recent losses to the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Key insights include Marcus Johansson’s season-long slump, John Hines’ use of the line blender, and the team’s overreliance on perimeter shots instead of high-danger opportunities. Discussion focuses on the Wild’s split records—dominating playoff teams but faltering vs. weaker competition—and the urgent need for improved first-period performance. Upcoming games against the Chicago Blackhawks become crucial, as fans wonder if the Wild can regain consistency and ignite their offense before the playoffs.
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19 Comments
These last games have been concerning . Still waiting for this weeks games to change my mind .
Won' t make it past round one if the play this way. No killer instinct. Needs to change. 18 and 17 is plain not good..historr
They have issues 5 on 5..and Krill looks hurt?
Is the home ice really a advantage this year?
Is this live ?
Great job Seth..dead on sir..Thanks
The D zone coverage has had some hiccups with the new additions. Give them time to adjust to the system. They will be fine.
💯
What's most frustrating is continually playing down to their competition. They had a chance to move up against some poor teams and too many defensive lapses. Team looks tired and doesn't show up too many times. This is why it is so hard to put much faith in them for playoffs. Plus our coach has a terrible playoff record. Not looking good
Teams are adjusting to Hughes
You had just said they need to play 3 full periods and yet they played good against the Rangers. That was typical of many games throughout the season. Ranger game sucked. It was bad. No need to sugarcoat anything they have done the past three games against poor teams. The lost and stunk it up.
This is why it is so hard to take the Wild seriously regarding a playoff run
This is an example of not having a vocal and bigger voice in that locker room. Spurgeon has been fine but this team clearly loses their mentality when they get down and keep digging themselves into a bigger hole
Great show again as always
Leadership issue. Nothing Hynes can do about it. %100 on the players. They KNOW how they need to play. They're capable of it. It's ON THEM. The fragility when they get down is a Leadership/room issue.
All of these teams that aren't making the playoffs are loaded with players that are playing for jobs next year. They are not pushovers and they better be played accordingly…
Really thought Wild had something going this year. Now this ugliness??? Not giving up yet. We know the potential. Thanks for the vid Seth.
Wild probably the least willing top 3 central teams to compete for Division winner. Dallas or Colorado would be better opponents than San Jose.
Well, being they refuse to score in the 1st anymore I'll just wait an extra 30 minutes before tuning in.