Following two weeks of some of the best hockey the Wild have played all season, the team took a giant step backward on Saturday in Denver, getting blown out 7-2.

It was especially frustrating to see the team lose their composure as well, something that does not normally occur with the Wild. That may or may not be a good thing in the end, but I will take a positive spin on it.

Too often the Wild have appeared complacent with how they played games even in losses. Seeing them take things personally often leads to building team bonds that help to hold players more accountable for their play as well as to stick up and battle for each other.

Just like getting too high after a few lopsided victories is not something to focus on, neither is getting overly upset after one bad defeat.

Saturday's game should serve as a learning experience for the Wild and the coaching staff. Colorado is not going to go away. They are only going to get better. They are committed to their young players and they are a fast, hungry bunch.

The Wild on the other hand have been one of the faster teams in the league in the past but they have added a couple of players in Marcus Foligno and Matt Cullen, who are not the most fleet afoot, and Mikko Koivu has clearly lost a step as well.

Bruce Boudreau must figure out a way to get more confidence in some of the other players on his roster, and reduce the minutes of his older and slower players. All too often this season we have seen those players, that Boudreau puts his trust in, be the cause of critical turnovers, penalties against, and deciding goals being scored.

These players have significant roles on the team for sure, but if their minutes could be managed a little better the return should actually be better for both the players individually as well as the Wild team.

It is one loss, but that one loss did accentuate some problem areas the Wild need to address. No Colorado is not 7-2 better than the Wild. No the Wild will not be outskated that badly on most nights. But the need for speed is apparent and the youth of the team must be accentuated over the next few months if this team is going to first make the playoffs and then do some damage once they get there.

It cannot be the same old same old. The Koivu Granlund Zucker line should not be a line that Boudreau falls back on just because they were the teams' best line a year ago. Koivu is no longer a top six forward, but that does not make his value any less. It just means that the time has come to slot #9 into the role that fits his game at this stage of his career.

This is not an indictment of Koivu by any stretch, it is just time for him to take on a different role within the team. Many star players before Koivu have had to make those same adjustments and actually redefined themselves and actually became as valuable or even greater to the overall team success, in their latter years.

The NHL is a young mans league, those that embrace it will have the best opportunity to succeed, while those that fail to recognize it will be doomed to experience the ups and downs of a complacency.

Youth brings mistakes for sure, but youth also brings exuberance and excitement that can revitalize veterans and keep them fresh and hungry to fulfill their own dreams and expectations.

Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17

Join the Discussion: » 5 Comments » Post New Comment

» Walker Up, Goligoski On LTIR

» Wild Look To Tighten Up The D Zone

» New Season Of Hope For Wild

» Kirill Gets The "A"

» Zuccarello Extended For 2 Years