WILD PLAYOFFS 25-26

[Original_JB]

16 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

The schedule this series is bizarre. No games for 3 straight days Wed-Fri. For no reason at all...

The "X" (GCA) has a previously scheduled event for Friday...

[Original_JB]

Wow. Talk about the class of the league. More skilled, faster... We'll be lucky to not get swept.

[TheLeviathan]

That effort was rough.  I know we're missing two of our best defenders but we can play much, much better than this.

If they don't find that gear though...our taste of round 2 is going to be short lived.

[Vanimal46]

Gotta figure it out before Saturday... The Wild have to be flawless at home now. 

At this point I'm going back to Wallstedt and riding it out with him. Gus Bus didn't look any better last night. 

[flpmagikat]

Really unfortunate, but this series is showing that while we finally have the top end talent to compete; we don’t have the depth. And tbh, our general consensus overall best player, Hughes, kinda looks like “just a guy” against mackinnon. That dude is the closest to lemieux I’ve ever seen.

[flpmagikat]

Also Gus has been pretty much bad for the last month or so, and while I understand why they played him, we really need Wally to come back and not be “solved” all of a sudden. Hope he can make adjustments, we need a hot goalie to have any chance.

[Parfigliano]

The sad fact is the AVs talent ia on a different level then the Wild.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

On 5/7/2026 at 8:01 PM, Parfigliano said:

The sad fact is the AVs talent ia on a different level then the Wild.

Can't we just go super saiyan?

[Vanimal46]

That was exactly the type of effort and performance to get back in the series. Great win last night 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Hope we learned something we can bring again to tomorrow night.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Equalizer!

 

Tie game in the 3rd...

Hopefully we can put the puck in the net again.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

46 minutes ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

Equalizer!

 

Tie game in the 3rd...

Hopefully we can put the puck in the net again.

No such luck.

down 3-1 returning to Denver.

I wonder if they are upset about the Nuggets?

[stringer bell]

The Wild need to play three great games to get to the Western Finals. The Avs are really good and it will take a complete team effort to win each game. In my rating system, the Wild needed to beat two of the top six teams to get to the Western Finals, probably the toughest path of all the teams.

[Vanimal46]

It’s frustrating because this is the most talented Wild team in their history. Colorado is just a buzz saw of a team. 

[nicksaviking]

6 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

It’s frustrating because this is the most talented Wild team in their history. Colorado is just a buzz saw of a team. 

NHL playoffs are such a joke. Meanwhile either the conference's 4th or 5th best team gets a free ticket to the conference championship.

[TheLeviathan]

On 5/12/2026 at 6:40 AM, Vanimal46 said:

It’s frustrating because this is the most talented Wild team in their history. Colorado is just a buzz saw of a team. 

At the end of the day they really, really need one more big time player.  Particularly a center that can drive the play.  Hirschier or Hughes in New Jersey might be good targets.  Malkin if we want an old guy.  Austen Matthews seems to be a likely possibility too.

I like Yurov but he's gotta be better at faceoffs.  I'd love to see something like this next year:

Zucarello-Hirschier-Kaprizov

Yurov-Ek-Boldy

Trenin-McCarron-Hartman

Foligno-Stramel-Some Guy

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, TheLeviathan said:

At the end of the day they really, really need one more big time player.  Particularly a center that can drive the play.  Hirschier or Hughes in New Jersey might be good targets.  Malkin if we want an old guy.  Austen Matthews seems to be a likely possibility too.

I like Yurov but he's gotta be better at faceoffs.  I'd love to see something like this next year:

Zucarello-Hirschier-Kaprizov

Yurov-Ek-Boldy

Trenin-McCarron-Hartman

Foligno-Stramel-Some Guy

A 1st line C would do the trick for the team. I would try to make a trade for Auston Matthews, but I doubt we have the draft/prospect capital nor the cap space. 

The #1 priority is locking in Hughes long term. We can’t let him get out of the building he’s a true superstar 

[TheLeviathan]

5 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

A 1st line C would do the trick for the team. I would try to make a trade for Auston Matthews, but I doubt we have the draft/prospect capital nor the cap space. 

The #1 priority is locking in Hughes long term. We can’t let him get out of the building he’s a true superstar 

I think we have three star players, it's hard for me to say which one is the best but you're probably right that it's Hughes.  We have to lock him up.

That said, the team has Boldy, Ek, Faber, and a few others on pretty team friendly deals.  Once they move Gus they have about 20M in cap room with this roster:

W-C-Kaprizov   Yurov-Ek-Boldy  Trenin-Hartman-Foligno  Sturm-Stramel-Haight/Heidt

Faber-Hughes  Brodin-Spurgeon  Middleton-Hunt     Wallstedt-Backup

20M to go get a wing, a center, and a backup goalie will give you some options.  The problem is not having enough trade assets to land one that way.

[TheLeviathan]

20 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

A 1st line C would do the trick for the team. I would try to make a trade for Auston Matthews, but I doubt we have the draft/prospect capital nor the cap space. 

The #1 priority is locking in Hughes long term. We can’t let him get out of the building he’s a true superstar 

I should add....when the time comes to resign him it will be for the year when Spurgeon's deal expires so we might be able to swap quite a bit of that salary between those two guys.

[Vanimal46]

33 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I should add....when the time comes to resign him it will be for the year when Spurgeon's deal expires so we might be able to swap quite a bit of that salary between those two guys.

It’s encouraging there’s more cap space than I thought. I figured if tough decisions needed to be made to clear up space, Spurgeon would be near the top of the list with his $7.5 mill hit. We’ve got more than enough depth to lose one of Spurgeon, Brodin, or Middleton if required to extend Hughes 

[TheLeviathan]

What a rough last four minutes.

[Parfigliano]

13 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

What a rough last four minutes.

Really fell apart

[Parfigliano]

Up 3-0 in the game to 4-3 OT loss and season over.

[flpmagikat]

Bummer of a loss, Avs really look inevitable to be fair. Not blaming injuries but think it’s a lot closer series and maybe different result with 14 and 25 playing.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

44 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Up 3-0 in the game to 4-3 OT loss and season over.

And post season over, too.

 

I kinda feel like musta jinxed (or at least set a bad example for) them by checking the score with 3 min to go, and assuming i could stop paying attention. And i suppose doing this tonight rather than in a game 7 frees up an evening or two, so there's that.

[Vanimal46]

11 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

What a rough last four minutes.

It was building up before those last 4 minutes. The Wild went prevent defense for the 2nd and 3rd period. Stopped being aggressive and hoped the time ran out. 

[TheLeviathan]

11 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Really fell apart

Yeah, it was not a good look for two periods but they absolutely made mental error after mental error to allow that game to be tied.

And Kaprizov....buddy.....shoot the puck!

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, TheLeviathan said:

And Kaprizov....buddy.....shoot the puck!

I can’t stop thinking about that specific play in OT. Kaprizov doesn’t shoot it, turns it over then coasts to the bench. Boldy coasting into the D zone which leaves Kulak wide open for the game winner. 

I also can’t stop thinking about McCarron’s whiff on a prime time grade A chance. Boldy’s pass wasn’t perfect, but you gotta make contact man. 

[TheLeviathan]

3 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

I can’t stop thinking about that specific play in OT. Kaprizov doesn’t shoot it, turns it over then coasts to the bench. Boldy coasting into the D zone which leaves Kulak wide open for the game winner. 

I also can’t stop thinking about McCarron’s whiff on a prime time grade A chance. Boldy’s pass wasn’t perfect, but you gotta make contact man. 

Oh I know....McCarron had the game right there for him and he just crossed himself up so badly.

I popped out of my seat ready to celebrate the W.

[Vanimal46]

3 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

Oh I know....McCarron had the game right there for him and he just crossed himself up so badly.

I popped out of my seat ready to celebrate the W.

I mean… he had the entire left half of the net wide open. It’s really unfortunate he was the one in that spot. Anyone else in the top 9 and they would have buried that shot.