Will the Wild make the Playoffs?

[kfan22]

The Wild are officially halfway through the season at the 41 game mark. Currently the Wild are sitting in the 8th and final playoff spot. Do the Wild continue their streak of making the playoffs to 6 straight years or does the streak end this April? The team was inconsistent in the first half, but are completely healthy for the first time this year heading into the 2nd half of the season. Can they make a run into the top 3 of the Division or will they battle for a Wild Card spot?

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[Wabit]

98 standings points is almost a guaranteed Playoff spot. They managed 47 in the first half, even with all the injuries. All they need to be is 4p better (2 wins, or 4 OT losses) in the second half to get to 98p. 5p out of every 4 games (2-1-1) is what they need to average.

I don't think they'll end up any higher than 3rd in the Division, and they end up as a WC team. I think the current teams that are in are the ones that make the Playoffs (barring injury).

3 teams are out: Oilers, AZ, Nuks.

Edit* I haven't voted on any polls since the forum change. The "change your vote" button was a nice addition.

 

[Bazeek]

Voted yes, and admit to voting "no" in the poll we had around Thanksgiving. My concerns at the time were that our defense beyond Suter-Spurgeon looked disjointed and our bottom-6 forwards didn't work. Since then, Dumba has really impressed me and actually getting healthy has provided the Wild with a legitimate top-9 and a 4th line that works pretty well together. Exchanging Prosser for Quincey helped immensely, Olofsson and Reilly both have progressed nicely under the constant threat of a healthy scratch, and Murphy is a player worth keeping around. Dubnyk has had ups and downs, but they've generally gone along with the overall team performance, while Stalock feels like a godsend as a backup.

I'll knock on wood in fear of Nassim Taleb's Black Swans, but I have no reason to think that the 2nd half of this season will not be better than the first. And that should result in a playoff berth.

 

[Goose312]

I think so. 11 games starting the 3rd period so far where the Wild were winning or tied and didn't get a win. If they get an extra point in 6 of those games, either pushing games they lost in regulation into OT or turning an OT loss into a win, then they are 2 points back of the division lead with a game in hand. They played better in December than they have all year, and since Christmas have been playing like the team I think fans expected to see. They've played a whopping 1 game fully healthy so I don't see any reason to believe they wouldn't get more than 47 points if reasonably healthy in the 2nd half.

 

[BigT2002]

Voted yes, and admit to voting "no" in the poll we had around Thanksgiving. My concerns at the time were that our defense beyond Suter-Spurgeon looked disjointed and our bottom-6 forwards didn't work. Since then, Dumba has really impressed me and actually getting healthy has provided the Wild with a legitimate top-9 and a 4th line that works pretty well together. Exchanging Prosser for Quincey helped immensely, Olofsson and Reilly both have progressed nicely under the constant threat of a healthy scratch, and Murphy is a player worth keeping around. Dubnyk has had ups and downs, but they've generally gone along with the overall team performance, while Stalock feels like a godsend as a backup.

I'll knock on wood in fear of Nassim Taleb's Black Swans, but I have no reason to think that the 2nd half of this season will not be better than the first. And that should result in a playoff berth.

Agree with you. I said back in November that they probably were not making it. Team looks a lot more stable now than they did 2 months ago. I still have my concerns, but ya..if they are making 98 points -- that has to be a Wild Card spot regardless.

 

[57special]

Maybe. Lots of competition in the Central. I must say that I am more hopeful now than at any time earlier in the season, when they looked mediocre, to me, even when they were winning.

For them to be become Cup contenders they will need to avoid injuries, have all their core guys continue to play well, and have Parise rediscover his game. That's a lot to ask. I think it's pretty clear that the new acquisitions (Ennis, Foligno, Winnik, Cullen) aren't going to move the needle appreciably.

On the positive side, Stalock has been really good as a backup, Murphy give them unexpected depth at RHD, Spurgeon is looking great, ditto Staal, and Coyle is winning FO's(55%!).

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Yes. Nothing about the teams we're grouped with scares me.

 

[NonsenseElimination]

We have to remember, even at full health this core of players has never accomplished anything of real significance and has disappeared for long stretches. I'm sure we'll find a way to sneak in the playoffs again and then lose early again.

 

[Wabit]

I think it's pretty clear that the new acquisitions (Ennis, Foligno, Winnik, Cullen) aren't going to move the needle appreciably.

I think they have moved the needle. The 4th line is better this year than last year. I'll take any of those guys over Graovac, Schroeder, White, JEE (last season) random callup the Wild used last year.

I think it's a 4th line that's more suited for the Playoffs than the regular season.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

We have to remember, even at full health this core of players has never accomplished anything of real significance and has disappeared for long stretches. I'm sure we'll find a way to sneak in the playoffs again and then lose early again.

The question is about making/missing the playoffs, and this core of players has never missed them. I suppose "significance" has different meanings to different people.

 

[NonsenseElimination]

The question is about making/missing the playoffs, and this core of players has never missed them. I suppose "significance" has different meanings to different people.

Well what have they accomplished of real significance? Is merely making the playoffs the significance you desire? They have never even won a division title, much less come close to a President's Trophy (not to mention conference or Stanley cup titles). They beat the Avs one year in the playoffs and the Blues one year in the playoffs--that's their biggest accomplishment.

 

[Ban Hammered]

Well what have they accomplished of real significance? Is merely making the playoffs the significance you desire? They have never even won a division title, much less come close to a President's Trophy (not to mention conference or Stanley cup titles). They beat the Avs one year in the playoffs and the Blues one year in the playoffs--that's their biggest accomplishment.

They have won the division.
Northwest title in 08.

 

[Wabit]

Well what have they accomplished of real significance? Is merely making the playoffs the significance you desire? They have never even won a division title, much less come close to a President's Trophy (not to mention conference or Stanley cup titles). They beat the Avs one year in the playoffs and the Blues one year in the playoffs--that's their biggest accomplishment.

Presidents Trophy doesn't really mean much. It's been around 30 years now, 11 of those teams made the Finals, 8 won the Cup, 6 lost in the 1st round. I don't care about winning the Division. It's nice to have, but finishing in the top-3 is what really matters. Along those lines making the Playoffs doesn't mean a whole lot either, over half teams in the league do. But at least in the NHL the it's not predetermined who the final 4 (or 2) teams left playing will be (NBA).

I agree the team needs to win a few rounds in the Playoffs. Getting into the Playoffs is the first step.

 

[NonsenseElimination]

They have won the division.
Northwest title in 08.

I was talking about since the Parise/Suter signing.

 

[IndustryLeech]

No.

 

[HollaHaula]

Probably but they won't go far once they are there.

 

[57special]

I'm going to give it about 2-3 weeks more.

 

[Binister]

Plausible. First or second round exit as usual.

 

[Arturia Pendragon]

Don’t care either way.
We’re not good enough to win the cup and not terrible enough to get a top pick.
How that isn’t seen as the worst possible position for a franchise is beyond me.
Not one person will convince me this core can all of a sudden do a 180 and be something they’re not. This core had several chances in the playoffs.

Find me teams in Stanley Cup playoff history that exited the playoffs for 5+ consecutive years with the same core and then all of a sudden won a cup with that core.
I bet you’ll only be able to count them on one hand, if at all.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Don’t care either way.
We’re not good enough to win the cup and not terrible enough to get a top pick.
How that isn’t seen as the worst possible position for a franchise is beyond me.
Not one person will convince me this core can all of a sudden do a 180 and be something they’re not. This core had several chances in the playoffs.

Find me teams in Stanley Cup playoff history that exited the playoffs for 5+ consecutive years with the same core and then all of a sudden won a cup with that core.
I bet you’ll only be able to count them on one hand, if at all.

To start, the word "core" is problematic, since every team that wins adds and subtracts pieces to make it happen. But putting aside the decades of history that include only six teams, the more recent history of the Red Wings comes to mind. They built a team around Steve Yzerman, went to the playoffs from 1991 on and didn't win the Cup until 1997.

I mean this group of Wild players is a shadow of the 1997 Red Wings but there are some similarities. Totally agree on your skepticism though: even if they qualify (should but not guaranteed) they're not likely to get out of the West, much less beat a Washington or Tampa Bay, the pipeline sucks relative to the rest of the league, and they'll be a cap team again with the same "core" next season which limits improvements. Not only is the group of Koivu, Suter, Parise, Staal, Dubnyk getting old and sometimes looking it, Nino, Coyle, Zucker and Granlund are peaking.

Fletch is a creative guy, but I think he's comfortable with another kick at the can with this basic group. We'll see if he gets the chance.

 

[57special]

Koivu has looked old almost all year....Parise for the past 3.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Yes, but I they will get swept in the playoffs.

 

[Minnesnota]

I hope not. This team is not good enough for playoff hockey.

 

[Wabit]

Right now the Wild have the fewest GF and most GA (127 for each) of any team in the Division. Not really the where you want to be with either of those numbers.

 

[LastWordArmy]

Second Half Keys to Making the Playoffs

Minnesota Wild Need To Stay Healthy And Win On The Road To Make A Playoff Run