Driving home from Saturday afternoon's Detroit debacle, I noticed two things in listening to the post-game coverage on the radio: (1) Coach Mike Yeo was late for his post-game presser; and (2) he was awfully defensive to an innocent/accurate question by a Wild beat writer (Michael Russo).
Regarding his late arrival to his own presser, clearly the Wild front office was in full scale damage control. The Wild are yet again in the midst of another late season swoon to which all Wild fans have become all too acustomed to. Frankly, not getting two points in New Jersey and giving away two points to a severely depleted Detroit squad is nothing short of pathetic. Pathetic! Especially given their upcoming schedule after today in Detoit and Wednesday's home game against Vancouver (at St. Louis, at Phoenix, at L.A., at Chicago, Pittsburgh, at Winnipeg, Boston, St. Louis and Nashville). If the Wild cannot win the games they ought to win against lower ranked opponents, then they will have to make up that difference by beating teams ranked above them in the standings and they will certainly get that opportunity in the not too distant future. However, at some point, it's no longer about the players and all about the coaching. GM Chuck Fletcher has put together a talent ladened squad of players and coach Yeo is still juggling lines trying to find the right chemistry? To me, it smells of a young coach being in over his head. Regarding Fletcher, the only criticism, besides not being able to land the right coach for his club, is that the addition of Matt Moulson, which by all accounts was a good player personell move, may have adversely affected the chemistry of his four lines which we playing better before the trade deadline than after the trade line. However, in my opinion, a good coach would be able to figure out these "chemistry" issues fairly quickly and move on and Mike Yeo has not yet gotten there.
Regarding Yeo's defensiveness in Saturday afternoon's press conference, Yeo correctly started by saying that the Wild have to find a way to win that game. Michael Russo followed that up by pointing out that the Wild have only won 2 of their last 9 games and asked the obvious question: "You've got to get some wins, right?" Yeo should have answered something like "Obviously" and moved on. Instead he shoots back with "How did I know that was coming?" His tone was extremely bitter. It wasn't even like Russo was trying to hang the loss on Yeo personally. Yeo then proceeded to try to bend over backwards showing how it's not that bad and it's not time for the "Oh no, here we go again" but, in my opinion, he failed to make that case. As a friend of mine in the Wild media pointed out, in the Wild's last 10 games, from a strictly wins vs losses perspective, the Wild have only "won" 3 games. My media friend went on to state that "when you lose in overtime in the playoffs, you lose the game."
So, as a Wild fan, it is "Oh no, here we go again." Why? Because the Wild have a history of crapping the bed in March. Perhaps it has alot to do with giving away their arena to the high school leagues for their various state tournament games. However, if a team like the Wild are going to make the playoffs, they need to figure out how to win on the road when they go into the playoffs as one of the lowest seeds and don't have home ice advantage.
Opposing teams have figured the Minnesota Wild out. They are a talent-ladened hockey club that wants to be a puck control transition team. So what do they do? Exactly what Jacques Lemaire did to Wild opponents early in this club's frachise history, they clog the neutral zone, force the Wild to dump and chase and wait for their opportunity on a turnover to quickly transition and score.
Coaching is key at this level. A few days back when coach Mike Babcock's Redwings were taking on the mightier Penguins, Babcock remarked regarding the superstars on the Penguins squad as compared to his own injury decimated squad by saying "Superstars don't win hockey games, teams do." Obviously, it was what he had to say. But then to instill that belief in his team which then comes out to not only force overtime, but then win late in overtime. That is what coaching is all about. Obviously, Babcock is one of the best. So that then begs this question: Where does Mike Yeo fall on the coaching spectrum? Which in turn begs the last questions: Is it time for Mike Yeo to go and, if so, should it be Chuck Fletcher choosing the coach for this team yet a third time?
Hopefully the Wild right the sinking ship that they are currently on and not only make the playoffs, but strike gold by winning a series. Should they do so, full credit should go to coach Yeo. However, as things stand, the fans in the stands that I have talked to are either resigned to the fact that either the Wild will not make the playoffs or that even if they do, they will be an early first round exit. Frankly, there is too much talent on the Wild currently for fans not to expect at least making the playoffs and a highly competitive first round battle. Anything short of that falls on the coaching of this team, in my opinion. That is the unfortunate part of being a head coach of an NHL franchise. Their futures rise and fall with the success or failure of their team.