Wild Refresh, Regroup As They Head Into Playoffs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Wild have clinched a playoff spot.
But if they continue to play the way they have been playing the last four games, they are not going to be in the playoffs for very long.
They have one game left in the regular season, and it is an important one.
The Wild had an optional practice Thursday morning at the University of Minnesota's Ridder Arena. You can thank Barry Manilow at the Xcel Energy Center for that.
But they do not play until Saturday, so they have a chance to refresh and regroup.
"It's good to just get some rest and just get some practices in, and just get together with the boys and, you know, we're going into the playoffs now, we have to find our game," said Wild defenseman Marco Scandella.
Where did it go? After a six-game losing streak, the Wild have now lost four straight and were outscored 8-1 in their last two. Not exactly the kind of hockey you want to be playing heading into the playoffs.
"You don't [want to] lose any games, that's number one," Wild Coach John Torchetti said. "But, you know, they played pretty hard to put themselves in that spot."
With one game left before they begin -- Saturday night against the Calgary Flames -- it is their last chance to get things on track before the postseason begins.
"The playoffs is a different beast, and do you want to be playing good hockey going into it? Yeah, but it's a different game," said Wild left wing Ryan Carter. "So getting on track is something that I think we want to do. We just want to play our brand of hockey, our game."
Whether they win or lose means nothing; how they play means an awful lot.
"I think there will be a good outing on Saturday, but we're not going to look past anybody," Carter said. "We know that that's an opportunity to sharpen ourselves up a little bit before the playoffs."
The Wild will start the playoffs sometime next week at either St. Louis or Dallas, who are tied atop the Central Division -- although the Chicago Blackhawks still have an outside chance.
