'Two weeks left to fight for our lives': Wild enter pivotal stretch chasing playoff spot
Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild talks with an official against the Boston Bruins during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on February 1, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. ((Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau made his team’s fate for the rest of the season clear after practice Sunday, saying, “two weeks left to fight for our lives.”
That was after the Wild had 10 days off for the NHL All-Star break, then had one of their worst games of the season Saturday in a 6-1 loss to the Boston Bruins at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild allowed the first four goals, including three Bruins’ power play goals in the second period to take control of the game.
A frustrated Boudreau after the loss wouldn’t single out players, but call the Wild’s penalty kill efforts some of the worst he’s seen.
The cold reality for the Wild right now is this: They are seven points out of the last spot in the Western Conference Playoffs with 31 games to play. Six of the next seven are at home, where they are 14-7-4 on the season. But they’re 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, and there’s no more time to waste.
There’s four teams to pass if they have any intentions of being involved in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“I just thought we had seven games. If we get 12 points, 10 points, we’re right in the thick of things. If we get two points, it’s going to be a difficult task,” Boudreau said Monday after practice. “That’s just me looking at all the schedules of all the teams.”
One of the main focuses of Monday’s practice was the penalty kill, which needs a lot of work. The Wild allowed three power play goals Saturday, and for the season, they’re killing just 73.5 percent of their penalties. That’s second to last in the NHL, in front of only the Detroit Red Wings.
The first step to improving that is staying out of the penalty box to begin with. Boudreau mixed up lineups Monday, giving anyone that could a chance to be on the penalty kill. He stopped short of saying it would translate to lineup changes Tuesday night.
“I don’t know what the lineup is going to be yet tomorrow, but there’s guys that haven’t played in situations for a while that if we do use them, they gotta be used in practice,” Boudreau said.
The Wild hosts the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday night, one of those four teams that they’re chasing for a playoff spot. The rest of the home stand includes Vancouver, Colorado, the Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks.
After that, February ends with four of six on the road.
But after a demoralizing 6-1 loss in front of the home fans after a long break, Boudreau says the focus needs to be game to game. At the same time, he’ll know more about the future his team and the season by the end of February.
‘I hope the players keep the focus game by game. I do to a point, but I look at everything. I look at the next two weeks, the seven games we have and try to figure out some stuff.”
If they don’t figure some stuff out fast, they’ll be out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight year.