The Minnesota Wild are a complete mess.
NHL scores 2016: Playoff contention keeps slipping away from Wild after another loss
Things aren’t right in Minnesota these days.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Their free fall from decent playoff contenders in the Western Conference to a hop, skip and a jump from the draft lottery has been going on for months now. You just haven’t heard of it because they don’t play in Montreal.
But they are a mess, and nobody seems to know what to do about it. Just take a gander at some of the quotes coming out of the locker room after their ninth loss in 10 games on Thursday.
Ryan Suter said this: "We are a very fragile team. They get one and we go into a shell. We are a team that has no confidence." Yikes.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) February 5, 2016
Parise said "I don't know" four times, "I'm not sure" twice, and "I don't have an answer for that" once tonite. The Wild are in big trouble.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) February 5, 2016
Does that sound like a team on the verge of sorting their issues out? I didn't think so either. Minnesota had no answer for the cycling and possession game of the New York Rangers on Thursday, even after taking a 2-0 lead early. Those quotes accurately reflect the actual play on the ice right now for Minnesota. They look confused, tired and out of ideas. They are the living, breathing hockey equivalent of the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ text.
The simple (and usual) solution is to fire the coach. After all, Mike Yeo has become quite familiar with the hot seat already in his tenure with the Wild. Something has to change before the Wild spiral out of relevance altogether.
Scores
3 things we learned
1. Edmonton looks like a new team with Connor McDavid back
It's been just two games since the Oilers' super rookie returned from a broken clavicle, but he's already become the most dangerous player on the ice whenever he's out there. McDavid recorded another two assists, giving him five points across two games. He won't win the Vezina Trophy, but the fact he's going to come relatively close tells us just how much we missed while he rehabbed his injury.
2. Claude Giroux likes to hug people
Including opponents:
3. Babs is happy in Toronto
The Maple Leafs' fan base got a double shot of Babcock goodwill on Thursday. First, James Reimer and P.A. Parenteau led the Leafs to a win in Babcock's 1,000th career game as a coach. Then, he offered this endorsement for the franchise's future:
Mike Babcock: "I've got this year and seven more here. And then I'm going to stay for two more because the team's going to be that good."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 5, 2016
Impact Moment
Missed calls do have an impact! But you already knew this. The point was hammered home for the Coyotes on Thursday, when a blatant slash by a Blackhawks player went unnoticed and led to Jonathan Toews' eventual game-winning goal.
Coyotes very mad about this slash on Richardson shortly before Toews goal cc @thefullmontipic.twitter.com/x39ykaQLtp
— Stephanie (@myregularface) February 5, 2016
Stat of the Night
The Senators have given up 27 goals in their last five losses. That is un-good.
— Pat Iversen (@Pat_Iversen) February 5, 2016
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