The Minnesota Wild seem unable to make that next step year in and year out, having now lost in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their last eight attempts.
Their most recent defeat was at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, who defeated them by a 3-2 final score in Game 6 at XCel Energy Center.
The Wild have not gotten past the opening round of the postseason since 2015, when they beat the St. Louis Blues. Vegas moves on and awaits the winner of the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings series, while the Wild once again are packing it up for an early offseason.
Wild Fans Express Frustration After Latest Round 1 Playoff Loss
Nobody can blame fans of the Wild, who routinely sell out every home game in Minnesota, for being frustrated that their club seems perpetually stuck in mediocrity.
One fan kept his reaction short and simple, saying, “One and done like every other year.”
This fan was disgusted, griping, “You guys are garbage! You are decent in the regular season, but choke in playoffs! I’m glad I don’t ever pay to watch you choke artists.”
This fan felt he was experiencing deja vu, saying, “Same script every year. Go through a stretch as a top team in the league. Sneak in as a wild card. First round exit.”
Another fan compared the success of the Wild and the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, saying, “The Timberwolves have now won more playoff series than the Wild since the Wild became a franchise even with the Timberwolves having spent almost that entire time being the worst franchise in NBA history.”
Finally, this fan blamed the acquisition of Gustav Nyquist at the NHL Trade Deadline, saying, “Nyquist trade did this. Is it 9 years in a row losing first round. NHL leaders in consecutive one and done…. Wow wild figure it out!!”
Wild Coach John Hynes Admits The Feeling Is “Raw” Right Now
While Wild coach John Hynes believes that his club played well enough to win the series, they ultimately didn’t get the job done.
“It’s a little raw right now,” Hynes said. “I thought we worked enough and were playing well enough to be able to continue to push the series. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way, but I commend the guys. This was a really fun group to coach, an extremely competitive group, and coachable. It’s obviously disappointing right now because you feel like you deserve a little bit better, at least in the last few games here, and unfortunately, it didn’t go that way.”
The Golden Knights now await the winner of the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings series, while the Wild once again are left to pick up the pieces and figure out where things went wrong.