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Tough Road Trip Ends With 3rd Straight L |
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The Wild limp home on a three game skid after their 1-3-0 road trip. The bigger concern for Dean Evason and his team is the lack of 5-on-5 scoring in the three losses.
Of the seven Wild goals in the last three games, only one has come at even strength during the normal course of game play. That was Matt Boldy's third period goal in Carolina. Jared Spurgeon scored with the extra attacker on the ice in the loss to Florida, while the remaining Wild goals were scored on the powerplay (4) or shorthanded (1).
I know the Wild threw everything they could at the Tampa net last night and also in Sunrise against the Panthers on Saturday but to no avail. There are no moral victories in the NHL. The old adage they don't ask how, but how many applies when the the team is on the losing end just the way it does on the other side.
This Wild team in some ways is better than some if the other Wild squads that have qualified for the playoffs recently, however, there is not much reason to believe that they are structured to make a run as the current roster stands.
They are a good team, solid on the forecheck, very good structurally, with very strong goaltending. However we have seen that play out for the Wild when the playoffs begin.
A lot is learned in adversity, and the Wild will certainly make adjustments to their game just as they did following their rough start to the season. There are a lot worse situations that the Wild could be in at this point of the season for sure. However they do need to get things back in track quickly and start banking more standings points.
Bill Guerin has his to do list and this is the time of year where the next level of his plan takes shape. He knows what is at stake and the assets he has and the contracts that need to be addressed, or in some cases sent elsewhere.
The standings are tightening up and the three point games magnify every standings point moving forward.
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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