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Playoff Hopes Dashed...New Hope Emerges

August 8, 2020, 10:44 AM ET [20 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
It is never good when the Wild lose and get bounced from the playoffs...but in this year of 2020 craziness the Wild now have a 12.5% chance of landing the first pick in the NHL draft.

Combine that with the fact that Edmonton, Nashville, and Pittsburgh all joined the Wild exiting the bubble the worst position that the Wild will draft is 9th if they do not win phase 2 of the NHL lottery on Monday evening.

More on that later as today we unfortunately wake up knowing that the season is over for the Wild and the playoffs will continue without them.

So what happened to the Wild, who looked so poised in game one of the series?

Was that experience winning out vs young nerves in Game 1?

Did Vancouver just need a feeling out period before their young legs and skill got going?

Probably a lot of both for sure.

Last night's game began with the news that Ryan Suter would not be in the Wild lineup which is a crushing blow before the puck was dropped. Matt Bartkowski was inserted into the lineup largely due to the fact that he had 19 NHL playoff contests under his belt. Bartkowksi, however, did not appear in a single regular season tilt for the Wild during the regu;ar season.

Carson Soucy was elevated to play alongside Jared Spurgeon keeping the pairing of Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba intact.

Soucy had some moments in the elevated role however he was on the ice for three of the five Canuck goals, while Spurgeon was on for four. The pivotal game tying goal saw Soucy venture down into no man's land to the goal line while Spurgeon pressured Tanner Pearson below the goal line. That left the back door wide open for Bo Horvat to slide and deposit the Pearson pass into the Wild goal ultimately sending the game to OT.

Eleven seconds was all it took for the 2019-20 season to come to a sudden halt as Christopher Tanev converted Nico Sturm's failed clear into the game winner.

Some interesting take aways from the game and series. Dean Evason was tested and showed some very good signs in his first NHL playoff experience. He was forced into making some very tough decisions with Suter not being available and his team on the brink of elimination. He elected to insert Bartkowski into the lineup and that proves to be a very good choice as Bartkowski logged 10 minutes of ice time had two shots on goal, delivered three hits, and blocked a shot.

Evason also did some line juggling both prior to the game and in game as well. Marcus Foligno was moved up to the top line to play with Eric Staal and Kevin Fiala however late in the first period Evason inserted Parise onto that line to add some more offense in hopes of stretching the Wild lead heading to the first intermission.

I point out this move because oddly when the game was tied late in the third period Evason did not make that same move in an effort to win the game in regulation. That move backfired as the Wild entered the Canuck zone with speed and numbers but Foligno could not keep up. In this critical situation and he got caught not attacking 100% and was out of position to take the pass which ended up on the stick of the Canuck defenseman and the Wild scoring attempt never materialized.

Evason is a breath of fresh air for the Wild as they continue their transition. It is a process for sure but as we saw this season the team looks far different from the team we saw leave the ice at the end of the 2018-19 season and more changes are going to happen before we next see the Wild on the ice again.

Mikko Koivu most likely played his final game last night and if it was his last he will be remembered as being a leader giving maximum effort every day. A guy that was counted on in every situation and one that earned the trust and respect of everyone he played with, for, and against. He will be missed for certain and his legacy will live on for future Wild generations. The only true captain the Wild have ever had and he wore the "C" with honor and class 100%.

Alex Galchenyuk played his way to certain free agency and possibly out of the NHL altogether.

Victor Rask is most certainly a buyout option but that is not the most optimal of choices for Bill Guerin but one he will have to consider strongly.

Kaapo Kahkonen is going to force his way into the goalie picture and with Devan Dubnyk coming off a subpar season which saw him lose the starting role. Combine that with him entering the final year of his contract another that becomes decision Guerin will have to address.

Stalock showed that he is a very good NHL backup and can take the reigns for extended periods but by no measure is he a starting NHL goalie. Not a knock on Alex by any stretch as being a being a strong backup goalie in today's NHL is not at all an easy task and Stalock is one of the best in that role.

The long awaited arrival of Kirill Kaprizov is over and he will be in the Wild lineup joining Fiala, Luke Kunin, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jordan Greenway as the next generation of Wild forwards emerge.

Who knows maybe there may be another young gun to join them...

So a disappointing finish but an optimism that has been long overdue is here today as we awake in the State of Hockey.
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