Wilderness Walk: Nasty Letter

Dear Wild,

I have been a fan of yours for a long time now and want what’s best for you. Nothing would make me happier than to see you thrive as a hockey team. You’ve demonstrated in the past that you can be one of the best in the league in all aspects of the game. That’s why it was so disappointing to see you make the mistakes you did last night, more so because you made the same mistake three time. I don’t want to belabor the point but I feel as if I have no choice but to be painfully direct with you on this regard.

Do. Not. Leave. Ovechkin. Open. On. The. Power. Play.

Everyone knows this. You know this. Yet, there he was, waiting like a cat outside an open bird cage. Three times he scored on the goalie you purport to love. You let him down. You let your fans down. Shape up. Win some of these games because no one believes that this is what you should look like.

Sincerely,

A Wild fan

Sorry you had to see that nasty (relative to Minnesota Nice) letter, but I think it is important we acknowledge that lapses like we saw on the Wild’s penalty kill just won’t cut it. The Wild are in the playoffs and will likely remain the second seed in the division. That’s a better result than many of us dared to dream at the beginning of the season. But that doesn’t matter anymore because we’ve seen what this team is capable of and last night wasn’t it.

Wild News

Alex Ovechkin nets a hat trick as Wild fall to Capitals in overtime
MN Wild couldn't contain Alex Ovechkin and then T.J. Oshie won it as the Wild lost 5-4 to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center.

Alex Ovechkin's hat trick, T.J. Oshie's OT winnner send Capitals over Wild - StarTribune.com
Capitals dynamic duo sends Minnesota to fourth straight loss in a brutal month.

Murphy: Will the real Minnesota Wild please stand up? – Twin Cities

Souhan: Terminology can't mask the Wild's fall from grace - StarTribune.com
No matter how the Wild wants to phrase it, the team's spoken goal has changed from winning the division to eking out an occasional point.

Wild recall top prospect Joel Eriksson Ek from Sweden
Desperate for a spark, the slumping MN Wild have recalled top prospect Joel Eriksson Ek from his native Sweden.

On Frozen Pond

McLeod hockey blog: Gophers dealing with offseason losses | FOX Sports
The Minnesota Gophers men's hockey team is officially in the offseason after losing 3-2 to Notre Dame in the NCAA Regionals

Don’t let your expectations for Minnesota Hockey result in bad "Fire Lucia" arguments - The Daily Gopher
There is a case to be made for moving on from Don. I just wish more people were trying to make it.

Off the Trail

30 Thoughts: David Poile has advice for Vegas Golden Knights - Sportsnet.ca
The Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas brings up memories of the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators setting up shop in the late '90s, something Predators GM David Poile knows all about. That and more in the latest 30 Thoughts.

U.S. women continue to prove athletes will no longer just shut up and play | The Hockey News
The U.S. Women's National Team fought back against USA Hockey, proving once again that athletes can stand up to those in power to create change.

USA Hockey reaches wage agreement with women's players - Sportsnet.ca
USA Hockey and the women's national team reached a wage agreement Tuesday night to avoid a boycott of the world championships.

Why the top wild-card spot in the West is worth watching down the stretch | The Hockey News
Five teams are in a neck-and-neck battle for the Western wild-card spots, and at stake is the chance to avoid a gruelling trip through the Central Division.