Hynes discusses Wild ending 1st-round struggles in Q&A with NHL.com

John Hynes is in charge of putting together the plan that will end the Minnesota Wild's decade-long streak of losing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Wild will be trying to end a streak of eight consecutive first-round exits when they start their series against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference First Round at American Airlines Center on Saturday.

The Wild split the season series against the Stars, most recently losing in Dallas, 5-4, on April 9.

"It's a different team, it's a different year and it's different circumstances, so I don't think it's fair for the players on the team," Hynes, Minnesota’s coach, said of the past first-round exits. "It's about this year's team and it's about this year's challenge. That's what the focus needs to be. When we're all in it, when you get to the playoffs, your objective is to win and move on, win a series and move forward. That doesn't heighten because of what's gone on in the past. It's focusing on this team, this challenge, this year."

The Wild didn't make the playoffs in 2019 and 2024, but every other year they've been in since 2016 they have not been able to solve the puzzle that is the first round.

Only one time, 2021, were they even able to get the series to Game 7, but they lost that one to the Vegas Golden Knights, who needed six goals to eliminate Minnesota.

The Wild haven't won a playoff round since defeating the St. Louis Blues in six games in the first round in 2015. Defensemen Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota's captain, and Jonas Brodin are the two Wild players who were a part of that series win against St. Louis.

"It's been a while, but for us it's more the noise coming from the outside," Spurgeon told NHL.com. "Obviously every team wants to get past the first round and in the past years when it hasn't worked it's obviously frustrating, and it's tough when it seems to be happening every year, but we need to block out that outside noise and outside pressure. That isn't something we need to worry about."

Hynes is in charge of sending that message and helping the Wild follow through on it against the Stars, who finished the season ahead of Minnesota in second place in the Central Division.

He talked about how the Wild got to this point, and what they're up against in the following Q&A with NHL.com:

You've known for a long time that this series was likely going to happen against the Stars, and that's not normal to have that knowledge for as long as you have had it. How has that impacted you and the team knowing for quite a while that this scenario was going to play out, that your first-round opponent was pretty much locked in a month ago, if not longer?

"Yeah, it has been. I think it was on that track for a while. Part of it was having an idea on that, that we were going to be in and it was most likely going to be Dallas, but we basically went through a little bit of a stretch in March where we were playing OK, like mid-to-late March. We would have a couple good games, but we weren't clicking on all cylinders. In many ways it was like a lull. Then we had a four-day break where the guys had two days off and we had an opportunity to have two good practice days before we went into our last stretch, which began April 1. We played Vancouver, Ottawa and Detroit back to back, Seattle at home and then Dallas. Before the break I had talked to the guys about it, saying basically that we were just playing these games, that we need urgency, that we have to make sure individually you're getting to your game and we're feeling good about that, and collectively the style of game that we need to play, we need to see that, we need to hit that. So, when we come back be ready for practice, but April 1, it's go-time. We structured the practice around some identity drills and things we wanted to do. I think the guys came back and they were hungry to practice. We had two good practice days and then we played five really good games. Our top guys played really well. Our style of game was very good. That was our focus and I'm glad that we were able to do that and hit that game and get individual games going well. Then it was a little bit of a preliminary feel of what it's going to be like playing in Dallas (5-4 loss on April 9). An emotional game, both teams played hard. It was almost like getting reacquainted to the atmosphere, to the team, to what it's going to go through."

Do you attribute that lull in March to the understanding that Dallas would be the opponent, that you were pretty much locked in, and not feeling that there was much to play for?

"I think there were a few things. We were hot before we got Quinn (Hughes) and then we got Quinn and that was an adrenaline rush for everybody on the team. Then we were rolling into the Olympic break and we had a lot of Olympians. We came out of the break, there was the Trade Deadline and there was some excitement about that with some of the additions we got. Then there was just a little bit of a lull in our season just mentally. It was the first time it had happened to us because we were rolling pretty good for a long time. It was not so much that we were going to play Dallas, I think it was just more all the situations and we just weren't all dialed in like we needed to be."

That game you played against the Stars on April 9, what do you take away from that game, or is there even anything you can take away from that game in particular that will give you a feel of what Game 1 and this series could be like?

"It's just different. It is. You don't know where they were at, where their guys were at. I mean, it was a hard game. Both teams came to play. A lot of scrums. A lot of physicality. A lot of 4-on-4. A lot of scoring. But I don't think you can take a ton out of that game, no. The level of play, the commitment, that's what makes playoffs different. Now the field is eliminated down to 16. Now you're focused on one team and you know it's that one team. Everybody is at max capacity, max intensity. That's what makes it different. You get some things, some ideas from the regular-season games, but the game itself will be different."

Have you and your coaching staff been working on Dallas for longer than you'd normally be working on a playoff opponent because you've known for a while, and have you had to catch yourself to make sure you're not doing that, that you're not getting ahead?

"I think you have to catch yourself to not do that. You don't want to obsess over certain things. But, yeah, this situation is a little bit different because we know we're going to play them and there's also time from when our last game was (Tuesday) to when we're going to play them. I think it's just trying to make sure you're focused on the right things and making sure you're also not too far ahead into the future."

The teams are close. Every game has been close. Even the games that look lopsided look that way because of empty-net goals. What do you see as some of the similarities and some of the differences between the Wild and Stars?

"I think there are probably more similarities than not in the sense that I think they're a well-put-together team, they play with strong structure, they're highly competitive, they're good on special teams and they play for each other. When you look at the combinations, you see why the games have been so competitive. The playoffs will be a different animal, but the regular-season games, Minnesota-Dallas is always pretty intense, not a lot of free space on the ice. That's why when you say, 'What do you take out of the last game,' I would say it kind of reinforces all of that closer to the series."​

Quinn Hughes has been with your team for a number of months. How have you seen the Wild grow and improve with the addition of Hughes and the time now he's had to get comfortable?

"I think the speed in which he plays the game with, he makes the team faster. He's a unique player in the sense that he plays to your structure and within your structure, but he is also a guy who has that innate ability that other guys can't. He's a game-breaking player to where he can turn a play at any given time that is hard to defend. The other thing to me and what I've been impressed about with him, he definitely makes us a faster team and a more threatening team, but he's also a guy that plays a lot of minutes for us that shows he cares about keeping the puck out of the net. He cares about defending. He wants to know the responsibilities. He's good that way. He's not an offense-at-all-costs player. He very rarely is going to force offense that puts him or the team in adverse situations. That, to me, has been probably one of the most impressive things is that he can create offense so much and be an offensive driver, but it's at the right times and in the right situations."

That used to be a knock on him that he was an all-offense guy, fair or not.

"Yes, but now I've seen him up close before the Olympics. I was able to be with him at the Olympics and see him in that environment, in a high-stakes tournament, and come back off the Olympics and see him again. It's not all offense and it's not offense at all costs."