The Minnesota Wild are going to lose to the Winnipeg Jets, just ask all the experts...
The bottom line is this will be a very good playoff series between two very good Central Division teams. They have both earned their way to the dance and there is no clear cut reason for anyone to believe that either of these teams will win in a walk.
The regular season is an 82 game grind with unbalanced game loads and travel, days off etc. The playoffs are very different with each team dealing with the same travel and schedule along with a single focus of one opponent, no looking ahead and going through the motions.
This Minnesota Wild team is much different than Wild teams in the past. They are in the postseason for the sixth straight season, many of these players have experienced the pain of the majority of those early playoff exits. But this team has a different sort of resilience this year.
The Wild have been able to compartmentalize bad losses and poor play, keeping it to a bare minimum as is shown by the fact they have lost three games in a succession, one time the entire season, and that occurred in early November.
Most of the experts have the Jets winning, with the main basis of their pick being, the Ryan Suter injury.
Well this Wild team goes well beyond the Ryan Suter injury and they are a team from top to bottom. They have had a "next guy up mentality" all season and they will step up and pull together in Suter's absence.
The fun begins tomorrow, but nothing to be alarmed at while reading the predictions of the masses. This will be one of the most exciting and anticipated first round series this year for sure.
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