Minnesota Wild: Calm Before the Storm

The Minnesota Wild have a five-day break before embarking on the final portion of their regular season schedule. After their break the Wild must come out swinging as they look to tackle a hard schedule driving to the end of the season.

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After their five-day break, the Wild will finish the season in a whirlwind with 23 games to play in 41 days (including 4 sets of back to back games) before the playoffs begin. The team has positioned itself beautifully to this point, putting distance between them and the rest of the Western Conference which will help to minimize the damage of any stumbles.

Every point gained up to this point will be critical given the grueling schedule which lies ahead of the team. Although the team will not let themselves think too far ahead, we as fans can look ahead all we want.

Feb 18, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau (C) reacts from behind the bench after a play against the Nashville Predators during the third period at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports /

So, looking ahead, the goals for this team should go as follows with each goal building upon the previous one. First, the team must lock up a playoff spot. But at this point that seems more like a formality as the Wild have almost definitely assured themselves a spot in the postseason. 95 points is generally considered the minimum to get into the playoffs (depending on the year, the Wild only had 87 points last year).

By that metric, the Wild only need to gain 11 more points to assure themselves a playoff spot. The team should be able to tackle that goal in short order and their sights should be set much higher.

Second, a division championship should be the next goal for this team. This core of players has yet to accomplish this feat (as have all but one Wild team in their existence), and especially in the Central Division which is stacked with talent this would send a message to the rest of the league this team should be taken seriously.

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Third, along with a division title, this Wild team should have the goal of becoming the top seed in the Western Conference. Once again, to this point they have positioned themselves beautifully to achieve this goal. With the nearest team (5 points) in the rear view mirror, all the Wild seemingly have to do is avoid losing consecutive games (something that hasn’t happened since November 1st and 5th). This would all but ensure they finish the regular season on top, but even if they do slip a bit the odds are they will be the top seed in the conference.

Finally, it is tempting to say it is cup or bust for this team…I don’t view it that way. Playoff success should be expected to be sure, the Western Conference Finals should be the bare minimum expectation for this group. That represents massive progress for this group which has failed to get out of the second round.

Next: What The Wild Learned from Lineup Experiments

Regardless of what happens in the playoffs, this regular season has shown what this group is capable of. The team itself will stay largely in tact for the next couple seasons and has positioned themselves to be major cup contenders for at least the next three years.

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