Wild's playoff spot becoming perilous as tensions rise and losses mount

New York Times

05-04-2025

ELMONT, N.Y. — Mats Zuccarello stood at his stall, and like a lot of his dejected teammates, the veteran's tone, body language and inability to explain what just happened in a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders said it all.
Against an Eastern Conference team that went from playoff contender to one that appears to be playing out the string, the Wild never once threatened.
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Well … they technically threatened for the measly 36 seconds after No. 36 provided the Wild an early-second-period lead. But then two horrible shifts by the Wild turned the game upside down in the blink of an eye.
The Wild had no pushback, no ability to muster any offensive execution to come from behind and beat a team that was on a six-game winless skid and hadn't beaten the Wild in six games dating to Dec. 2019.
And once Yakov Trenin took a careless high-sticking penalty in the third, one lost faceoff later and Noah Dobson gave the Islanders a 3-1 stranglehold they'd easily ride to the finish line.
'I don't really have that much to say right now, to be honest with you,' Zuccarello said. 'I'm so sick of standing here and telling you guys this and that. I'm sorry. Just not good enough. No, I don't really have anything good to honestly say about it. It sucks they score right away and took the momentum from us.'
The Wild are in treacherous waters right now.
Yes, they are hopeful Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek will be back at some point soon, but with five games left in the regular season, they just went winless in three games (0-1-2) against the Devils, Rangers and Islanders and have won once in their last seven games (1-4-2). Not only have the St. Louis Blues jumped them for the top wild-card spot thanks to an 11-game winning streak, but the Calgary Flames are five points behind with two games in hand with the Dallas Stars visiting Minnesota next.
The Wild and Flames face each other next Friday night in Calgary, but one big concern the Wild better have? One of Calgary's games in hand is an add-on against the Los Angeles Kings because of a postponed game due to the L.A. fires. The Kings almost certainly won't have anything to play for in the final game of each of their seasons and likely will rest key players.
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'That's why it's frustrating that we can't put a little better game than we did today as a team,' Zuccarello said. 'It's hard to get to the playoffs. Unfortunately, few games left and you've got to have that urgency to have a little dog in you to just say, 'Eff it, you know, and go.' But honestly, I don't know what to say. You might get better answers from some other guys right now. It's just frustrating to lose a game like that at an important time of the year.'
Tensions are high with the Wild right now.
They are desperate for Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek to return, but they are under strict timetables. The hope is that at least Kaprizov can return Wednesday against San Jose.
But suddenly, now defenseman Jake Middleton is hurt after being launched head-first into the boards Friday night when Bo Horvat pushed him from behind. At first, it didn't even look like referee Francois St Laurent planned to call a penalty until he saw Middleton writhing in pain and Horvat motioning to the Wild bench for the trainer.
Middleton eventually got up with assistance and left the game for good with an upper-body injury that coach John Hynes didn't provide an update on.
Horvat, Middleton incident. pic.twitter.com/vNb4GhMlE4
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) April 5, 2025
But what incensed the Wild is St Laurent called a minor penalty on Horvat, not a major. Hynes was livid and called St Laurent over for an explanation. It was as angry as we've seen Hynes on the bench at a referee.
After the game, Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin walked out of the locker room with red eyes and yelled at the local beat writers not to ask Hynes about the call and instead go to the referee's room to ask 'that f—ing asshole.' Guerin continued down the hallway, but when Hynes walked out to address the media a few seconds later, Guerin reappeared and screamed at Hynes to not answer any questions about the call and that the writers should instead go ask 'that f—ing asshole.'
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The Wild didn't score on the ensuing power play, and Middleton didn't return to the game. What's concerning for the Wild is that Guerin's anger could be fueled by the fact that he may know how serious Middleton's injury is at a time when the Wild are fighting to make the playoffs. If he's out long-term, the Wild have Declan Chisholm waiting in the wings. David Jiricek's out for the season with a lacerated spleen, so the Wild's blue line depth is now uber thin until the regular season finale when they're expected to sign University of Denver Hobey Baker finalist Zeev Buium.
'He's a big part of our team,' center Freddy Gaudreau said. 'It's next man out there. That's how it's been the whole year. So we're gonna hope he's doing okay. You never like to see a brother go that way. And you just gotta keep stepping up, the other guys keep stepping up.'
After no goals for either team in the first period, Zuccarello scored early in the second period when he took a rebound off the end boards behind the net and banked it in off Ilya Sorokin's mask.
Thirty-six seconds later, after a soft shift in which the Wild just let Islanders players stand in front of the net, swatting at rebounds, Ryan Hartman turned the puck over to Noah Dobson and Casey Cizikas tied the score.
New York goal!
Scored by Casey Cizikas with 17:42 remaining in the 2nd period.
Assisted by Ryan Pulock and Pierre Engvall.
New York: 1Minnesota: 1#MINvsNYI #Isles #mnwild pic.twitter.com/NivO7nlfLj
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025
Two shifts later, the Islanders took a 2-1 lead when Simon Holmstrom's centering feed intended for Alexander Romanov was put in by Gaudreau as he tried to pick it off.
'I don't know what to tell you,' a downtrodden Gaudreau said. 'The seasons, it's ups and downs. We're in one now that's more of a down with the losses lately. But no matter how the waves come, you just gotta keep your head centered. It's always easy when things are going well. It's always easy to keep a positive attitude and feel like things are good and stuff and kind of be in the flow, but I think when it's the way it's going now that you just gotta stick to it, and that's it.
'We got a great group of guys here that are good leaders, that have gone through stuff multiple times, that have gone through those tough waves, and that's the attitude. We just gotta stay positive and do it the right way.'
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Obviously the Wild have injuries, but this team is a shell of what it was early in the season. They've got to play perfect hockey to win, and that ultimately takes a toll. It sure feels like that's what's going on now.
And that's the biggest frustration. They know what they have to do to win, but can't seem to do it.
'We're working our ass off and trying to piece together a win,' defenseman Brock Faber said. 'It's just been a challenge. There's nothing but negativity coming from just about every single person outside of the guys in this room and it's hard when you work a whole year and sacrifice your body and everything you can to win and just can't find one.
'But that's just the time of year it is. It's onto the next one. It's just we got to refocus for Dallas on Sunday and piece together some wins. We've been in a great spot the entire year, and this has been a really tough stretch for us. And like I said, every single person is negative outside of the guys in the room. So trying to lean in on each other and keep working as hard as we can, just piece together a couple points in a row.'
Hynes, after the game, took umbrage when asked how he gets the morale up when the Wild need to 'stop the bleeding.' He pointed out that they got a point in each of the previous two games and could have won them.
But still, the Wild have been victorious once in seven games and are going one way, while the Blues have passed them and the Flames are coming hard.
That's just reality.
Still, Hynes wasn't about to paint a pretty picture about losing to the Isles.
'I think guys should be disappointed in the urgency, the competitiveness, the execution, the energy to play in a game like this,' he said. 'Let's not talk about being in a funk and feel sorry for ourselves. This is a game we knew coming in you (could) get four out of six points. We didn't have the required intensity level, attention to detail, so there's nothing to feel sorry for yourselves.
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'We didn't play the game we needed to play to win. Now in saying that, if we came out and played a heck of a game and lost, I could see where you're coming from (about lifting morale). But there should be no feeling sorry for ourselves. They should be like this is the best time of the year and we're in a position. We gotta be way better than we were tonight.'