It’s looking like a best case scenario is a Groundhog Day situation where the Wild slide in sideways to a wildcard spot or do a last minute sprint to claim one of the lowest positions in the playoffs.
Seems to be working for LA.
But I agree with the rest of your post.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
It’s looking like a best case scenario is a Groundhog Day situation where the Wild slide in sideways to a wildcard spot or do a last minute sprint to claim one of the lowest positions in the playoffs.Seems to be working for LA.
I don’t think the situations are really comparable. Setting aside his leading the Kings to 2 cups in 3 just 3 years at LA, Darryl Sutter had VASTLY more experience than Yeo, both as a player and a coach, before he even got to LA.
Nobody looks at Sutter and LA and says, “Well, there’s a bubble team that will be lucky to be able to scrape out a win or two in the first round.” Regardless of where the Kings entered the playoffs in the past 3 years, nobody was fooled into thinking they were some kind of underachievers.
Sutter obviously has the experience to know what his team can get away with and then still be positioned to make a deep playoff drive. Playoff position matters a lot less when you’ve got the combination of players and behind-the-bench experience that Sutter has.
Yeo is struggling just to find enough direction to even get his team to the playoffs, much less having a plan for what to do if they do manage to get there.
Yeo was a great experiment and I’m not saying that he was without potential. But the lack of experience is obvious now and it’s time to bring in someone who’s not trying to figure it out as they go.
Grouse
You must have missed my last sentence. I agreed with what he said. 
You must have missed my last sentence. I agreed with what he said.
I know. The rest was my long way of saying I wish we were in the Kings skates.
Grouse.
I also wish we had some options for better goaltending. Ug. Just read an article that pointed out we have the worst 5-5 netminding save percentage in the NHL. Ouch.
We just seem so boxed in. Backstrom can’t be sent down. Harding can’t be called up. The slots are technically full, which is why we couldn’t hang on to Bryz, who has now found a new home. Curry and Gustafson aren’t ready. Kuemper is who he is, he’s still got great potential but we were leaning on him too hard.
IF a trade package is in the works, we’re going to be saying goodbye to some major additional players in order to pick up anybody who is significantly better than what we have now.
If Backstrom or Kuemper is going to find their groove again, sooner is better.
Grouse
Personally, I’d like to go back to Backstrom. Kuemper has lost his knack for the bounce back game and he has put himself in too many bounce back situations. He’s not what he once was, but at least he is consistently average. I think that is better than playing in front of a guy who you are nervous might let one roll up his sleeve and into the net.
So are the Wild underachieving or is the talent not what it appears to be?
Minus the goalies.
There isn’t enough talent to win a cup, but certainly enough to be better then they are showing.
Koivu said it all. He said in an interview, with scoring 4-5 goals per game, we should be able to get a win.
It’s tough to point to anywhere else where the problem might lie when the goalies are getting beat for 4-5 goals per game over the last couple of games. That’s going to put you in a tough jam against even a marginal team, but against a division leading team…
I’m at the game tonight, so we’ll see who’s in goal. Hopefully the offense stays alive and the PP can find the net once.
Grouse
There isn’t enough talent to win a cup…
That’s what everyone says about a team until they do win a cup or get very close.
I’d say any given year there are about 16 teams with enough talent to win a cup. Of the 4 major sports, hockey seems to have the most parity.
The nice thing is I can jump ship onto the Lightning playoff bandwagon if the Wild falter. I’ve been trying to follow the ma little bit. They are a lot like the Wild, they got some great prospect. The big difference is they have Stamkos and Bishop. That Kutcherov is going to be a stud just like Nino.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
There isn’t enough talent to win a cup…That’s what everyone says about a team until they do win a cup or get very close.
I’d say any given year there are about 16 teams with enough talent to win a cup. Of the 4 major sports, hockey seems to have the most parity.
The nice thing is I can jump ship onto the Lightning playoff bandwagon if the Wild falter.
Cripes, that didn’t take long. Pug, be honest now. Have you started calling northerners “Yankees” yet? Have you found yourself fixin’ to do anything or go anywhere lately?
We’re here to help. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Grouse
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mplspug wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
There isn’t enough talent to win a cup…That’s what everyone says about a team until they do win a cup or get very close.
I’d say any given year there are about 16 teams with enough talent to win a cup. Of the 4 major sports, hockey seems to have the most parity.
The nice thing is I can jump ship onto the Lightning playoff bandwagon if the Wild falter.
Cripes, that didn’t take long. Pug, be honest now. Have you started calling northerners “Yankees” yet? Have you found yourself fixin’ to do anything or go anywhere lately?
We’re here to help. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Grouse
Ask him how the weather is…
Grouse after the 2nd power play fails and the Wild are down 2-0 at the end of the 1st, see if you can get the crowd to boo them off the ice.
Actually a birdie told me the Wild are one blowout away from calling up Deertracker to play goal.
Not yet boss. We, y’all want to know, its 80 and humid. Dreaming of a severe thunderstorm Christmas.
I’m not jumping ship. Noway after all these years I’d stop following the wild so closely. I know very little about the lightning season so far, but it gives me playoff options. Ottawa no longer my favorite east team.
I’d hate to say it but it looks as though this team has a serious motivation problem. When was that last time they lead after the first or second period?
All the comebacks are fun to watch but it reveals a more serious problem.
Well if you are going to dump Yeo, now is the time.
I wish our PP would stink again, we played better then.
Kuemper looked decent. Brodin had a mental lapse.
Next year is our year. Scandella, Zucker and Nino will have another year under their belt and become the bedrocks for this team.
what do you think of yeo changing lines so much? It seems it would be impossible to build any chemistry or confidence where your team mate is when it is constant change. I wish yeo success but he seems to not have a plan.
They’re in a mental downward spiral. There’s a reason they don’t play with a sense of urgency and skate slow about a third of the time.
Jacques Lemaire used to change lines all the time, and I respect him as a coach more than most. Look what he did with a fraction of the talent. The thing I don’t like most about Yeo is that he doesn’t seem to want to hold the veterans accountable. Last year I think he didn’t sit Heatley until about game 65. Vanek should have sat to try to light a fire in him. I think he is down to his last chance to right the ship. Much like last year. If they lose to the Jets I think he is gone.
what do you think of yeo changing lines so much? It seems it would be impossible to build any chemistry or confidence where your team mate is when it is constant change. I wish yeo success but he seems to not have a plan.
“Actually a birdie told me the Wild are one blowout away from calling up Deertracker to play goal.”
Oh crap, I better hire an agent. 
DT
Its pretty interesting that he decided to send a message to Fontaine and Haula. It doesn’t take balls to do that and they are bottom six guys. He’s just to afraid to sit vets when points matter so much.
After reading between the lines of Russo’s post game, there seems to be some sort of tension, possibly with a player or two in particular.
Oh yeah the refs are making the game about them.
Wow who are these crappy refs. Also, why so many inbred jets fans at the game. Don’t they have moose fat to render for the rest of the winter?
We love our Jets fans!!
We can sell them beer.
We can sell them food.
We can send them to MOA shopping.
Best of all ……we can tax the hell out of them!!
How does that help me?
Absolutely miserable end to the game. Fluke double bounce off the back wall, top of the net, and in. Terrible end and a shame for an otherwise decent effort.
Curry in goal tonight. Interesting…
Fletcher keeps insisting Yeo’s job is safe. I hope he’s saying that because he’s trying to trade Yeo for another goaltender.
Grouse
No doubt it was a fluke goal, but just another game they couldn’t win in regulation.
Curry in goal tonight. Interesting…
You probably know by now, but Kuemps and Backs are ill.
I thought when Koivu got hit from behind early and exchanged words, we were going to see angry Mikko. Instead we ended up seeing a horrible PP shift where he turned the puck over and then, despite Suter directing him to pick up Wheeler, he did not play on him and tie him up, leading to their shorthanded goal. That goal reminded me of the one that sunk us in the playoffs.
Curry did a pretty good job as I think they said he played the night before? Tough situation, but he gave them a chance.
I don’t know about the Parise goalie contact that wiped away the goal. Looked like Buf gave him a shove.
I thought they played a decent game and it was 2 teams battling for much needed points. The problem is at home you need to win. I look at those standings and things don’t look good. The interesting thing is all the Wild card teams are fairly mediocre at home, but impressive on the road.
The top 7 teams are pretty much set and it leaves 5 teams fighting for the 8th spot. Unless the Wild go on a nice run of winning 8 or 9 out of 10 games, I think they are screwed.
Could be an interesting game and I don’t mean on the scoreboard. 6’5″ Graovac has been called up. So Bickel, Sutter and Graovac in against the physical, if not cheap, Jets. Buff’s hit on Granlund left him on the IR and requiring surgery on a broken wrist. On the other side, Evander Kane is out.
Kuemper back in
Coyle playing center
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