The Wild enter the long All-Star break dropping two straight games in which they had the lead in the third period.
The Wild enter the long All-Star break dropping two straight games in which they had the lead in the third period.
ST. PAUL - Tonight might've been a different team that the Wild played but the result was the same. Two straight games in which the Wild blew a lead in the third period. One to the Nashville Predators whom the Wild are trying to chase in the standings and another to the Anaheim Ducks who came into tonight's game with almost more losses on the season than points.
“Yeah, exact same play on the box-out. So, that’s what happened really last two games," Wild head coach John Hynes said. "They’re just clear-cut assignments that we have to and we don’t do them and it winds up in the back of our net. I think when you have a system and you have a structure and there are no grey areas in it, it’s unfortunate because it cost us two games. Not that one play each time but in general.”
On the Ducks' first goal, it was Troy Terry who was left all alone in the slot on his forehand before he ripped home his 13th of the season. The play started in the corner when Zach Bogosian tied up Bo Groulx.
Groulx poked the puck free to the faceoff dot where Jake Middleton gathered the puck. Frank Vatrano then pickpocketed Middleton and fed Terry who was left all alone with no one close. Terry made no mistake in beating Filip Gustavsson to tie the game in the first period.
Middleton declined to speak to the media after the game and actually erased his name off the whiteboard which is used to alert the players who talks to the media after the game. According to Hockeystatcards on Twitter, Middleton had the worst game of any player on the ice.
"The unfortunate part was we got beat on it and not just the one play, but even our first goal it was coming into d-zone coverage. Then the puck bounces one way and we don't have a layer of defense," Hynes said on the first goal. "It happened against Nashville, we had an opportunity to practice it and address it, we did that and then it wasn't good enough tonight. That's got to be a strong focal point coming in. You learn different things about your team as you go through and I think that some of those components have to be tighter and more automatic."
The Wild spent all of practice Friday working on the things that hurt them in the game against Nashville but it ended up being the same plays that hurt the Wild again tonight against the Ducks.
Ryan Strome scored the Ducks' second goal after a point shot from Radko Gudas that was tipped by Strome. Yet again another failed box out led to the go-ahead goal for the opposition but as Hynes said, it's more of not even letting it get to that point in the first place.
A simple dump-in by the Ducks eventually turned into the go-ahead goal after Brock Faber was pressured by two Anaheim players and couldn't clear the puck with zero supporting help. Leo Carlson swooped in and picked up the loose puck and after a cycle in the corner, Gudas fired the puck on net for Strome to tip.
But the Wild later got a power play in the third period for a perfect opportunity to regain the lead. Terry went to the box for tripping which sent the Wild to the power play for the fourth time in the game.
No pressure for the Wild on the power play and eventually led to a Terry breakaway. Hartman rushed back and was able to block the first shot but Terry stuck with it and fired home the rebound off Hartman's skate for his second of the game and 15th of the season giving the Ducks a 3-2 lead.
Hartman also erased his name from the whiteboard in the locker room and declined to speak to the media. Hartman and Middleton, who both erased their names from the whiteboard, were on the ice for two of the Ducks' three goals.
"They had two or three breakaways, as well. We were sloppy," Mats Zuccarello said. "At the end of the day, I think it’s one of those games where they score and we don’t, and we should probably score a couple more.”
What is hard to understand is how this team has fallen so much this season. Tonight was the Wild's 50th game of the season, they are now 21-23-5 and are six points out of a playoff spot. If they had beaten the Predators two nights ago and the Ducks tonight, the Wild would be only two points out of a playoff spot.
But to go from back-to-back 100-plus point seasons to this doesn't seem possible. The Wild are on pace to finish the season with 77 points.
"Yeah, and that's very weird. Like we almost have the same personnel within the team, and it's in there," Gustavsson on this team. "It's like it's locked behind the safe or something. We just have forgot about the combination right now. It’s some days it's there, we play awesome, we play great. And some days it's just nonexistent, and we can't have those roller coaster nights. Because you get those nice feelings in your body, everyone feels good, everyone plays good. And then you have those terrible games and everything's down to drain again, and it's mentally tough to do that."
To be quite frank, if the Wild keep playing like they have these last two games and really this season, they may never find the combination to the safe, and at some point, it may be time to come to grips that this is the reality of this team.