Critical homestand The good news for the Minnesota Wild (17-19-4) is that they won't have to play the Dallas Stars (24-11-5) again during the regular season, and there's still half the season left to be played. Both of those are positive. But the Wild's back-to-back losses by 4-0 and 7-2 scores to the Stars — Monday at home and Wednesday in Dallas — reveals not only that they have a lot of work ahead of them, but also the significant gap right now between the top and bottom teams in the Central Division. (The Wild sit 15 points behind the Central’s third-place Stars). Here's the recap of the Wild's season series versus the Stars: Nov. 12 — 8-3 loss at home Jan. 8 — 4-0 loss at home Jan. 10 — 7-2 loss in Dallas The Wild were outscored 19-5 between the three games — 9-2 at five-on-five — and outshot 91-72. Their power play went 2-for-13 and the penalty kill went 6-for-12. The most alarming number from the season series is 10: the number of special team goals the Wild allowed (The Stars scored six power play and four shorthanded markers). The Wild lost 7-2 to the Stars in Jesper Wallstedt's NHL debut <em>in Dallas Wednesday.</em> [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNTgxMzA0NjA2ODI4NDc1/usatsi_22264690.jpg] The Wild lost 7-2 to the Stars in Jesper Wallstedt's NHL debut <em>in Dallas Wednesday.</em> The Wild have now lost six of their past seven games. There are a number of reasons behind the Wild's latest poor stretch of games, namely injuries, their lack of five-on-five scoring and straying away from their identity. Now, to be fair, the Wild have been significantly shorthanded, and they’re still without key players in Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin and Filip Gustavsson right now. The Wild aren't as poor as their record shows right now, and they have a higher ceiling. But the Wild have to find ways to win before it's too late. They're already sitting seven points behind the Nashville Predators in the second wild-card spot. The Wild have a lot of work to do before they can get within reaching distance of a playoff spot and have the ability to compete with the Stars and other heavyweights around the league. The Wild hope to put this season series against the Stars behind them and get back on track during their three-game homestand, which starts tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. REQUIRED READING
