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Wild Losing Grip in Playoff Race

The Minnesota Wild continue to slip as the race for the Stanley Cup Playoff tightens around them.

Nick Horwat

Apr 4, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) chases the puck after falling down in the third period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) chases the puck after falling down in the third period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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The Minnesota Wild have found themselves in a precarious position as the end of the 2024-25 regular season nears. The Wild are currently in a playoff spot, but might not be for long if their recent trend continues.

In their last 10 games, the Wild have gone 4-4-2 and have slipped all the way to the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Struggling to find offense lately, the Wild know they need to kick things into high gear before it’s too late.

“That's why it's frustrating that we can’t put a little better game than we did today as a team,” veteran forward Mats Zuccarello said. “It’s hard to get to the playoffs. Unfortunately, few games left and you’ve got to have that urgency to have a little dog in you to just say, ‘Eff it, you know, and go.’ But honestly, I don’t know what to say.”

Zuccarello noted just how frustrating things are getting in Minnesota. They were red-hot to start the season with a 20-6-4 record through the first 30 games. Since then, they’ve gone 21-23-3.

A 41-29-7 record for 89 standings points is still respectable through 77 games, but it’s not good enough with the St. Louis Blues charging up the standings, leapfrogging the Wild.

The Calgary Flames are also hot on the Wild’s tail. The Flames have two games in hand on the Wild and are five points behind. The Wild still hold the advantage, but they need to flip the script on their play quickly.

“I don't really have that much to say right now, to be honest with you,” Zuccarello said. “I'm so sick of standing here and telling you guys this and that. I'm sorry. Just not good enough. No, I don’t really have anything good to honestly say about it.”

The Wild aren’t in a good place, and they desperately need a guy like Kirill Kaprizov to return to the lineup.

Kaprizov hasn’t played since late January thanks to a lower-body injury. Before being put on the shelf, Kaprizov was on an MVP pace with 52 points (23G-29A) in 37 games played.

In what seemed like an instant, the Wild went from one of the top teams in the West to on the verge of missing out on the postseason. They have five games left to get themselves back on track or enter a long offseason after looking like a real threat.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Nick Horwat is a contributor with Breakaway On SI. He was previously a credentialed reporter for The Hockey News covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A Pittsburgh native, Nick graduated from Point Park University and started reporting on news and sports with KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan. After hosting a Penguins talk radio show in college, he morphed the show into a podcast. The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast has been a leading Penguins podcast since 2019. Follow him on Twitter @NickHorwat41.