It's all over

It was a nice effort, but the Minnesota Wild's 3-2 loss in the nationally televised game against Detroit all but put an end to this inconsistent and disappointing season. Mathematically the Wild are still in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but realistically, it would take a miracle to reach it. Minnesota entered the game 3 points out, with a game in hand, and needed the 2 points awarded for a win to have any hope. But now the team sits much further on the outside, with little hope of an extended season. At one point not too long ago, in order for the Wild to climb back into the hunt, it needed a little help from some of the other clubs. Now they need a ton of help, and considering that there are only 3 games remaining for all teams involved, it would be a safe bet to call it over.

The game today was a typical Wild game. Scrap for a couple of periods, while getting out-shot badly, and rely on the stellar play of its All-Star goaltender. The hope remained as Minnesota pulled to a 2-2 tie late in the second period. And for much of the third, the Wild looked as if they would steal the game and actually came away with the better scoring chances. Unfortunately, the much better and more talented team found the back of the net with less than a minute remaining in the game. Wild netminder Nicklas Backstrom played another solid game and held the team in it but as has been the case all too often this season, it was not enough.

All attention will now focus on GM Doug Risebrough and whether or not he can dig this team out of the hole that he has put them in. The talent that he seems to let go without batting an eye has not been replaced during his tenure, a that trend has to end in order for this franchise to climb the standings for years to come. Puzzling is the fact that Wild management does not see things the same way and at some point you have to start to question their level of expertise. I have a feeling that new Wild owner Craig Leopold will be stepping in shortly, after the seasons end, to sort through things. In a perfect world, it would be a wise to try and convince Coach Jacques Lemaire to give things another season, something I doubt will happen, especially if Risebrough departs.

It's been a roller coaster season and will end fittingly...a win here and a loss there. The disheartening part to this is that player personal miscalculations were made and I am afraid that if some drastic changes are not in the works this off-season, we will be looking at years of seeing our franchise ending its season on the last day of the regular season.