Wild release Bob Woods of assistant coaching duties
Bob Woods has been with the Wild since the 2017-2018 season and has mainly taken on the role of running the defense and the penalty kill. But after a rough start to the 2023-24 season, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin has let go of Woods along with Dean Evason.
In his seventh season with the team, the Wild currently have the league’s worst penalty kill and are on pace to break the record for the worst penalty kill in NHL history which was set by the 1979-80 Los Angeles Kings at 68.2 percent.
The Wild allowed three power-play goals to the Dallas Stars on the first three attempts the Stars had two weeks ago. The Wild then went to Sweden for the NHL Global Series returned home, lost to the Colorado Avalanche, went on the road and let up a power-play goal to the Red Wings and now returned back home and have made a coaching change.
The Wild’s current penalty kill is 46/69 and have allowed 23 power-play goals, they have only played 19 games and have gone 5-10-4 with a 66.7 percent penalty kill and have lost seven straight games.
Although it isn't just Woods’ penalty kill, Wild head coach Dean Evason likes to call it the Minnesota Wild penalty kill, the Wild have decided to make a change on the coaching staff which could provide a different look to the penalty kill that has been off to a horrendous start.
Minnesota has two games left in the month of November and are currently 12 points behind the Dallas Stars for third in the central division and seven points out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
It doesn't seem like that big of a jump to try and get back into a playoff spot by the end of the month but the Wild play four pretty good teams to end November and three of the four are in the central division.
There are 63 games left in the season but as it stands right now, the Wild are on pace for about 22 wins which would finish among the very bottom of the NHL.
The Wild finished the month of October 3-4-2 which was the fewest losses they have had in October since the 2000-01 season, which was their inaugural season. If they don't win two more games this month, it will be their worst month of November since the 2006-07 season.
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