Game #75: Minnesota Wild vs St. Louis Blues, Saturday March 26, 2011 at 7:00pm CDT, Xcel Energy Center [GAME PREVIEW]

The countdown is official.  Now the countdown has nothing to do with how many games remaining in the regular season for the Minnesota Wild.  The countdown is that of how long after the end of the regular season will Wild head coach Todd Richards be fired.  Of course this isn’t the first time such a countdown has existed for Richards.

For Wild fans, the countdown started on the official message boards on October 8, 2010.  Many fans, myself included, chimed in.  For many of us, we based our guesses on the schedule.  My guess was Monday, November 15.  I chose that date because the Wild would have returned from a road trip that included Columbus, Atlanta, Florida, and Tampa Bay.  I had anticipated the Wild returning home without earning one point.  I’ll admit, I was wrong as they came home with four out of the eight possible points.  Even better, those two wins came in regulation.  In fact, many of the predictions came after lengthy roadtrips. 

Right now, the Wild have lost seven straight, six of those in regulation.  The most embarrassing being the 8-1 loss at home to Montreal.  It’s been a long time since the Wild have endured such a string of losses.  In fact, one has to go back to the Wild’s sophomore year to find it’s record for consecutive games, which was set at nine.  The Wild also stand to match their record for consecutive losses at home which was set in the 2003-04 season.  That was the last time they’ve lost four straight at home.  Considering how poorly things have gone as of late, it wouldn’t shock me one bit.  What’s even worse, is that I’m pretty much past the point of disappointment.  Nothing is at stake at this time.  There is absolutely no chance of the playoffs, nor is there a chance of a high pick in the 2011 Entry Draft.  Just simply another year of “blah” for Wild fans.

And to top matters off, there is once again the question of what tonight’s roster will look like.  Cal Clutterbuck is questionable due to illness.  John Madden is questionable due to taking a Clayton Stoner shot off his foot.  There is a possibility that they will once again re-call Warren Peters even though they just reassigned him to Houston.  While it is conventional wisdom to call up several players from the farm team, however, there are those saying let the Aeros players stay where they are.  Right now, the Aeros are bound for the American Hockey League playoffs.  Let them gain playoff experience, and not the questionable experience of manning a sinking ship.  Let’s not mess with their playoff positioning for something the Wild will once again not experience. 

Not to sound like some apocyleptic preacher, but the end is near.  Will the Wild repent their “sins” over the off-season?

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