The Minnesota Wild is looking promising in the early weeks of April. Out of the four games they’ve played so far this month, they have gone 3-1, only losing to the top team in their division (Colorado) by one goal. The loss didn’t hit too hard. The next game they scored eight goals to land the victory over the Avalanche two days later. Heading into the middle of the month I have to ask: how far can Minnesota go in the playoffs?
Minnesota in Their Division
The Wild are currently sitting third in the West Division, following two points behind Vegas who is in second and six points behind Colorado who is in first. Minnesota finished their regular-season games against Colorado going 3-5 which, when going against the top team in your division, isn’t too bad. With two games left against Vegas, Minnesota has gone 4-1-1. They definitely know how to win against good teams, but the big issue I have noticed over the season is their inconsistency. You never know what team you’re going to see until they step out onto the ice. The same team that has beaten Colorado three times is the same team that has lost three times to San Jose – who is sixth in the division. If they can become more consistent on a game-by-game basis, I think they could at least go a round or two in the playoffs.
Playoffs
All in all, Minnesota is looking very promising the closer we get to the offseason. They only have a few players who are injured. The big one being Marcus Foligno who has already gotten back to the ice and is on his way to full recovery. Nick Bjugstad is the most recent injury but is only deemed day-to-day, so he could make a return for the playoffs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Wild go the distance this year. If not this year, they are still quickly becoming a strong team that could be dangerous for the foreseeable future.
