Wild's third period leads are becoming a problem
The Wild have not been very good in third period's recently and it has become a bit of a problem.
ST. PAUL - Having a lead in the third period of a game doesn't always mean you are going to win and the Wild have definitely proven that.
As of now, the Wild don't look like they are heading to the playoffs this season. After their 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues at home, their chances of making the playoffs are hovering over seven percent, according to MoneyPuck.com.
If you look back on the season and try to find reasons as to why this Wild team that had back-to-back 100 point seasons, are now out of the playoffs. I think a couple of things jump out.
They didn't start off how they would have liked to and it led to a coaching change. A 5-10-4 record is not the best way to start a season if you have playoff aspirations but that is how the Wild started.
Secondly, they played a stretch in early January without some of their best players. Kirill Kaprizov, Jonas Brodin, Filip Gustavsson, Marcus Foligno, Vinni Lettieri, Mats Zuccarello, and Jared Spurgeon were all out at the same time in January.
The Wild went 1-7-1 in a nine game sample that didn't have Brodin and Lettieri for all nine games, Kaprizov for eight games, Spurgeon and Gustavsson for six games, and both Foligno and Zuccarello for three games.
But the biggest reason why the Wild are in the spot they are in could be because of all their blown third period leads.
Since December 31st, the Wild have blown six third period leads which has resulted in a 0-3-3 record.
If they would have won those games, it would add nine points to their 77. They would have 86 total points right now which would be three more points than the Vegas Golden Knights, whom the Wild are chasing in the playoff race and are six points behind.
"I think a lot of times when you're in those games and you have a lead, and you do have several of the quality looks that we had to get it to a two-goal deficit certainly changes the dynamic of the game," Wild head coach John Hynes said after the loss to St. Louis last night. "Lots of times you can hit that second goal to make it four, I think the dynamic of the game would change in that situation."
The Wild's inability to make a two goal game when it matters the most may be a minor thing for any other team but on this team it's a big reason why there aren't and likely won't make the playoffs.
“It’s tough. We needed two points and we only got one, and that’s frustrating," Marcus Johansson said after the blowing another third period lead last night. "It’s tough to see the positive right now.
"We came out with the lead in the third and we lose the game. So, it’s very frustrating, very tough."
Those six games in which the Wild blew a third period lead might be the reason why they miss the playoffs.
Out of those six games, four of them have been against Western Conference teams and three of them have been against teams that are ahead of them in the standings. So the margin in points would be even more of a difference had the Wild not blown countless leads in the third period.
The only game against a Western Conference team that is not ahead of them is the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks are 24-43-3 on the year and are the third worst team in the league.
Everyone on the Wild will still say they aren't done fighting and will continue to try and make the playoffs. But the reality is the Wild will have to go either 11-0-0, 10-1-0, or 10-0-1 in their last 11 games to make the playoffs.
Being darn near perfect will be a challenge for the Wild and for a team that has only won eight games (8-14-3) out of 25 against the nine teams ahead of them in the standings, this seems like a task that might be too daunting.
"But again, there's no give in this group," Brock Faber said. "We're not gonna give up until Game 82. So, you know, just moving forward, it's just frustrating. Would have liked two points."
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