Wild runs out of gas late in loss to Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Down by a goal with 20 minutes remaining on Saturday night, the Wild had a decent chance at pulling off a weekend sweep of Eastern Conference opponents.
Following a 2-1 win against the defending Stanley Cup champions in Washington on Friday, the Wild trailed by the same score after 40 minutes here just 24 hours later.
But playing for the second time in as many nights -- this time without its leading scorer, Zach Parise, who missed the game because of a lower-body injury -- proved too much for Minnesota. Carolina scored three times in the first 11:12 of the final frame to close out a 5-1 win.

But it wasn't for a lack of belief.

"We had those quick two in the second, I thought we responded well and had some chances," said Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
After getting to the first intermission scoreless, Minnesota surrendered a pair of goals 2 1/2 minutes apart early in the second period to fall behind 2-0.
But that's when Minnesota woke up.
Three minutes after Brett Pesce scored to give the Canes a two-goal lead, Eric Staal capitalized on a four-minute power play to pull the Wild back within one.

The Wild continued its push, but couldn't draw even before the second intermission.
Then in the third, the short-handed Wild simply ran out of gas.
"The third we couldn't even complete a pass it looked like," Spurgeon said. "They were coming at us hard but at the same time we've got to be able to make plays and get out of our zone."
"I thought our second was pretty decent," said Wild forward Eric Staal. "We had some looks and weren't able to capitalize and then it got away from us there obviously in the third period. Their skilled guys made some good plays and we just didn't spend enough time in their end, in the offensive zone, especially in the third. It stings."
It stung for Minnesota because its win the previous night had vaulted the Wild back into the second wild card position in the Western Conference standings.
It then received help in the form of a shootout win from New Jersey over Arizona. Colorado defeated Chicago later in the afternoon on Saturday to put the Avs ahead of the Wild in the standings, but a win by Minnesota would have meant another night in the driver's seat for the final playoff position in the West.
Instead, Colorado has a chance to move three points clear of the Wild before Minnesota takes the ice next on Monday against the Nashville Predators.

"This is the way it's been all year. But at this stage I firmly believe we have to win 4 out of 6 to have a shot at this," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "Again just take it one game at a time and hopefully with the day of rest tomorrow and then it's not easy facing Nashville but if we come up with something solid hopefully that will lead us through to the next week."
It's a frustrating position to be in -- one day in the playoffs and the next day out -- but with the margin between the teams razor thin and just two weeks remaining in the regular season, it's likely to be a familiar spot the rest of the way.
"We know where we're at. Every game is huge and are desperate points," Staal said. "Coming off a big game last night, we were hoping for a great weekend and a big result, but that's a team that's desperate as well. They're playing really well. They've played well for a long time since December."
It's also a position the Wild knows its going to have to thrive in if it aims to make the postseason for a seventh consecutive time.
Fortunately for Minnesota, the Wild seems to play its best when it faces the most adversity.
"That's the way it is right now. If you're not winning you're going to be out of it," Spurgeon said. "We put ourselves in this spot and we have to work our way out of it."
Related:
Postgame Hat Trick: Hurricanes 5, Wild 1