Games Seventy-eight and seventy-nine

On Friday night, it almost looked like the Minnesota Wild was going to squeak its way into the playoffs. Playing against a banged-up Calgary Flames team, the Wild put together a fantastic effort, showing the desperation that they've needed to play with for at least the past month, and they simply shut down the Flames. Even when Calgary was given chances, Niklas Backstrom stood huge, and the Wild got points from 12 different skaters as they went on to win 4-0. It helped that they also got some assistance from the teams that they were chasing, and the Wild moved within 2 points of a playoff spot.

By the time Minnesota woke up in Detroit on Sunday, they'd slipped a point in the standings, but could still feel good being only three points back with four games remaining, one more than most of the teams they were chasing. Another strong effort, and the Wild could be sitting a meager one point back, with games upcoming against very beatable Dallas, Nashville, and Columbus. Plus, the momentum from being able to beat Calgary and Detroit would have to carry over.

Well, the Wild squandered a golden opportunity, and couldn't figure out how to get things moving against Detroit. The Red Wings had the puck for most of the game, and, if it hadn't been to some fantastic play by Backstrom, the Wild wouldn't have even had a ghost of a chance to steal a point. All those hopes came crashing down, bringing the Wild season with them, as Detroit took advantage of Eric Belanger losing an edge, and Marek Zidlicky foolishly jumping into the neutral zone. The puck ended up on the stick of Marian Hossa, and he fired into a pretty open net with 53 seconds remaining, and the Wild had to return home after losing 3-2.

With the Wild losing on all tiebreakers, the three points that they're behind in the playoff chase are really four, which means that the points needed to eliminate the Wild from contention are sitting at two. The best the Wild can do this season is 89 points, and they need to hope that none of the teams currently ahead of them do any better than 88. Given that the Wild have had trouble stringing together victories, and given that the odds are good that St. Louis, Anaheim, and Nashville all have at least one win remaining in their season, the Wild have to start planning for the off-season now, and figure out what it will take to build a consistent team for next year.

Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. The NHL hits leader became one of only three Wild players to score at least 10 goals in their rookie season, getting goals against both Calgary and Detroit.
- Marian Gaborik. Sometimes infuriating on the ice, Gaborik also proved that he's still got an amazing touch. His goal against Calgary was a perfect example of shot placement.
- Applying the pressure. The Wild scored twice in 29 seconds Friday night, which caused the Flames to briefly switch goalies. Against Detroit, the Wild just kept hanging on, causing the Wings to make some bad plays that almost paid off.

Game minuses:
- Defense. Marek Zidlicky got burned badly on Detroit's winning goal, but throughout both games, the defensemen were coughing the puck up to the other team, usually with badly placed passes. If it wasn't for Backstrom, the Wild would have been blown out of the water twice, and not even have a hope at the playoffs.
- Opportunities. The Wild had opportunities. They just didn't make the most of them. The Wild had chances to add another three goals at least against Calgary, and, against the Red Wings, Minnesota should have had the first goal of the game, along with another couple thanks to open nets. Minnesota just couldn't seem to get their sticks onto the puck.
- Shooting. This ties into the missed opportunities. Far too often, the Wild passed two or three times too many, looking for a perfect play, as opposed to throwing the puck at the net and going in to fight for it. All those passes make for highlight reel goals, but they also lead to blocked shots, missed shots, and just coughing the puck up to the other team, and this is a problem that's plagued Minnesota all season.

Next up: The Wild return home to face the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, in a game that might very well be meaningless by the time the puck drops.