Wild Looking To Dig Out Of Early, Familiar Slump At Chicago
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Facing the Blackhawks in Chicago Tuesday night is not exactly the ideal spot to break through the slump the Minnesota Wild is going through.
Unfortunately, we've seen this same story line this time of year, again and again.
"It's just not good enough," coach Mike Yeo said after the Wild lost a 3-0 lead in a 4-3 overtime loss to Dallas on Saturday.
Death, taxes and a Wild crisis. They're right on schedule with their annual tumble down the standings.
"I don't know what it is. I wish I did, I wish I knew. We better start figuring it out, because it takes a toll on you when you do have these slumps like this," defenseman Ryan Suter said.
Whatever it is causing it, this is the third year in a row and fourth time in Mike Yeo's tenure they've dug themselves a daunting task. After starting 7-3, the Wild has lost three straight and six of its past seven games.
"It's not what the other teams are doing right now, it's about what we're doing to ourselves. And so we have to accept that, and we have to own up to it," Yeo said.
But the thing is the Wild have also always found a way to dig themselves back out, get hot at the right time and make a nice push into the postseason. You would think that would provide a little comfort right now. But in fact, far from it.
"No sense of comfort. I think we better get it moving now or it's going to be a short season," Suter said.
"I'm not thinking about last year, I'm not thinking about a month from now, I'm just looking at our game right now. And it's not good enough," Yeo said.
There's a long way to go with 60 games still to play. There is plenty of time to still turn this thing around. But now fifth in the division, they'll once again be spending the season playing catch-up. And they're feeling the urgency already.
"It does no good to pout and get pissed off at each other. You've got to come together and dig out of this," Suter said.
