Minnesota Wild: Latest five-game pace looks absolutely brutal

Earlier in the season, the Minnesota Wild were on pace for six or seven points every five games; the most recent five, they managed just four points.

The recent loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was game 26 of the year, and thus should be ignored for the sake of looking back at the Minnesota Wild’s pace between games 20 to 25. However, it did continue a recent downward spiral.

Prior to that result, the Minnesota Wild had also been downed by the Columbus Blue Jackets and Arizona Coyotes; both results requiring Devan Dubnyk to be held somewhat responsible.

A win against the Winnipeg Jets was probably the highlight of the five game stretch, a win against the Ottawa Senators lacking the same meaning given how bare their team is now looking. The loss to Chicago obviously holds meaning in terms of the Central Division standings though.

The down-turn in the Minnesota Wild’s pace came at the worst possible time, with Winnipeg, Colorado and Dallas all usurping them in the NHL standings.

To turn things around, the Wild need to bring about some big results in their upcoming fixtures with various Pacific Division teams. They need to turn around the special team problems, need to help Devan Dubnyk find his form and most of all, need to find some stronger goal-scoring.

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With 30 points in 25 games, hope isn’t all lost. Averaged out, you’re still looking to six points per five games and that equates to at least a wild card spot come season end.

If the team are to continue at such a lowly pace of just four points every five games though, they’re more likely to end up in the Jack Hughes sweep stakes than they are to make a seventh consecutive play-off appearance.

Questions have to be asked, there needs to be some searching within as to where everything is going wrong. Maybe some demotions need to occur; maybe there are some AHL call-ups that could bring some life back to the line-up.

Right now, we’re looking at a Minnesota Wild team that, for once, hasn’t been ravaged by injuries, has remaining fighting fit and still can’t offer up the performances needed to maintain a pace at the peak of the Central Division.

Can they get it back on track through the next five games. If game one of that block is to be taken into account, there’s some element of hope.