The Wild Warmup is presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling
ST. PAUL -- The Wild play its final game before an nine-day layoff on Wednesday when it hosts the Detroit Red Wings at Xcel Energy Center.
The All-Star break and the team's bye week follow in the week and a half that follows, so Minnesota will be in desperate need of some good vibes to sustain it. That's especially true coming off its 5-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday.
The Wild led that game with under five minutes to play, but surrendered the tying goal with 4:08 remaining, then the winning goal with just five seconds left in regulation.
It was a frustrating result for a team that deserved a far better fate. Minnesota scored a pair of power-play goals and also scored a shorthanded goal, just its fourth of the season.
That's usually a quality recipe for success.
Unfortunately for the Wild, the Panthers got the benefit of a fourth goal that goaltender Alex Stalock felt afterward he should have stopped. That gave Florida life, and it pressured just enough late to get a couple of fortunate breaks in the final seconds.
First, a point shot deflected off a defenseman, then off the stick of a forward in front of Stalock before dribbling into the goal. The play was reviewed for a high stick, but officials deemed the goal legal ... barely.
It was a crushing loss for a team that needs every point it can get. With two months remaining in the regular season, the Wild finds itself seven points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
