It is easy to pile on after losses and get a bit high after a few decent wins, but let's be serious when we address the current state of the Minnesota Wild.

We have seen the ups and downs all season long and the inconsistent effort from this collective group for quite a while now. This Wild team is what it is, a bubble playoff team that has very little in the tank when it comes to raising the level of play.

The fan base and the upper brass, have expected the Wild to make a significant step forward in the maturation phase of this collective group. After-all the Wild have made the playoffs for five straight seasons and have just two series wins over that time.

Unfortunately this team has become a measuring stick for the league median. They are good enough to win more than they lose, and to be able to compete in regular season games with some of the league's top teams on occasion, giving the impression that just maybe they may be turning a corner.

But then reality slaps us all in the face and we see the spurts of excitement turn to extended periods of disinterest and a team going through the motions.

Last night was not exactly an awful game by the Wild as they came out with a strong sustained attack in the first period, but unfortunately were not able to solve Semyon Varlamov. What made that especially hard to swallow was that J.T. Compher scored for the Avalanche in what must be classified as a shot that Dubnyk must stop.

From there the Wild had to fight an uphill battle and that is not their strength by any means. After Mikko Koivu got the game tied thanks in large part to the inspiration of Nate Prosser, who took a roughing minor along with Avalanche captain, Gabriel Landeskog.

Again Colorado answered right back 59 seconds later, and the Wild could not manage to get the game evened up before the end of the second.

The third period was a debacle from start as 11 seconds into the frame, Nathan McKinnon opened up the Avalanche lead to 3-1. The alarming fact of the matter on this goal was that Koivu lost the draw and the Avalanche controlled the puck in their own zone. The Wild forecheck was passive but Suter for some reason pinched all the way up to the Avalanche blueline despite the fact that Nathan McKinnon was on the Wild side of center ice.

That left Koivu with the impossible task of taking McKinnon one on one following the perfect stretch pass from Patrik Nemeth. Why was Koivu left to defend McKinnon all by himself and how come no one ever questions Ryan Suter for his poor decision making?

Ryan Suter has the reputation for being one of the league's top defenseman and the guy who is able to log all those minutes, yet how come he is a minus player on a team that is 15 games over .500?

I am going to say it now, this Wild team will not make the playoffs for a sixth straight season, and you know what? That is probably the best thing that could happen to this team.

It is time to turn the page with this group and yes that is easier said than done with Suter and Parise locked up for so long. A new GM will most definitely be part of the equation and with that usually comes a new head coach.

I am not trying to place the blame on Fletcher or Boudreau solely, but they are a huge part of the problem. Fletcher with his throwing around contracts and trading draft picks without much of a real plan has played out. Boudreau walked into a tough situation with Koivu and Suter ruling the roost, it really doesn't matter what the message is from the coaching staff, because #9 and #20 have their own agenda.

We all know that Koivu and Suter are very talented players, and no one will question their work ethic either. But the fact remains that they are complacent with how they approach the game and the two of them fail to make any adjustments to make the team better.

We all know that within this team there is a lot of talent, but the makeup is what is wrong here. It is a puzzle that just does not fit together and the fact that their is quite a collection of talent and we see it in spurts, that makes it that much more frustrating to take.

I would like to say that I am hopeful that this can turn around, but listening to Mikko Koivu before the game, when asked about the Avalanche blowing out the Wild the last two games. Koivu's response was we have a good team and we will be ready...blah blah blah. Where is the we are pissed off about those two performances and we want to come out tonight and show everyone that was not the Minnesota Wild?

The post game presser from Boudreau was more of the same, we played a good first and second period and that goal early in the third really took it's toll on the team.

Seriously? a two goal deficit at home with essentially a full period to play and this team of such high priced veterans could not overcome that mistake 11 seconds into the period?

To me that shows that Boudreau has very little in the tank either and that he just goes through the motions and if it works then fine if not, that's all he had.

To add insult to injury Wild top defenseman Jared Spurgeon suffered a lower body injury early in the 3rd. That is an injury this team really cannot afford at this time of the season.

The silver lining if there is one, is that Ryan Murphy showed some very good skill and character when Spurgeon missed 9 games earlier in the season.



Update on Spurgeon has him out for at least 4 weeks which means the rest of the regular season and possibly the beginning of the playoffs if the Wild do in fact make it. Spurgeon has a partial tear of his right hamstring.

As expected, Ryan Murphy has been recalled from Iowa, along with Zack Mitchell.

Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17

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