:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27252391/464282225.0.jpg)
When the Wild lose, they go all out, it seems.
The Wild's last loss against Ottawa was one of those games you hear about needing to throw in the garbage and move on. This is very similar, where the Wild were just out-classed by a Stars team that they had defeated only three days before. A ton of time on the Penalty Kill didn't help, but the Wild couldn't get anything going as the Stars walked all over them.
Usually after losses, I've been pretty glum, seeing as the Wild's last major losing streak put them in a position with little margin for error. This actually isn't the case tonight, as I'm starting to feel confident about the Wild's playoff positioning. Phoenix and Dallas have both plummeted in the standings, and the Wild are still creeping on Vancouver, and you could talk yourself into thinking they might be in striking distance of Los Angeles and Colorado, too.
Of course, this can all change in a week. The Wild have a small stretch where they face a murderer's row of teams in Chicago, Anaheim, and San Jose- three of the top four teams in the league. Can the Wild please get some of their guys back for those games?
Anyway, on to the Walk.
Wild News
Game Recaps
Stars put inept Wild in a box | Star Tribune- Boo.
Minnesota Wild give one away in Dallas - TwinCities.com- Boo.
Wild lazy and undisciplined in 4-0 loss in Dallas- Strip Koivu's C! What's he done for the Wild recently!
Other News
Cooke 'evidence' presented to NHL | Star Tribune- Matt Cooke Truth-er Eugene Melnyk presented his Unfastened Coins conspiracy theory to the NHL today.
Matt Cooke--The NHL's "Undesireable No. 1"?- It should actually be Ronald Weasley, despite having nothing to do wiht the NHL, as he's incredibly ugly. Chamber of Secrets Ron Weasley makes Taylor Hall look like Aubrey Plaza in comparison.
Eugene Melnyk presents Matt Cooke investigation evidence to NHL | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports- Couldn't Cooke have stomped on Melnyk's ACL?
The Team of 18,001: A Boost of Confidence- Darcy Kuemper certainly has earned a boost in confidence.
The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: How They Were Built- F*?!ing Wild! How do they work?!
Off the Trail
Six lessons from the John Tortorella suspension | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports- John Tortorella was suspended for 15 days, which probably takes him to the Olympic break, but I'm not going to check. It's not like knowing stuff is required for doing these articles.
30 Thoughts: Nothing wrong with starting fourth line in NHL | Hockey | CBC Sports- Some more on that incident.
Thoughts on Thoughts: Nothing wrong with starting fourth line in NHL | Backhand Shelf | Blogs | theScore.com- Some more on the some more on that incident.
Rumblings: Video replay, trade market for Vanek, Moulson and more - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN- Vanek says he's maybe willing to re-sign with the Islanders, which is clearly just covering the Wild's ass in a collusion hearing.
Is the point system change debate returning? - NHL - ESPN- It should. The point system sucks.
Kuznetsov says he’ll join Capitals in 2014-15 | ProHockeyTalk- He says he's a decent guy. And then he pokes Atherton with a sword, and concludes "Eh, I'm all right."
Alex Semin makes Russian Olympic team for Sochi Games after all | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports- There goes S.E.M.(in) #ReplaceBandNameWithSnub
‘NHLPA ’93’ vs. ‘NHL ’94’: The Ultimate Showdown- Down Goes Brown omits NHL Hitz 20-03. I promise to be obnoxious about this forever.