Wild: Emotional exhaustion, short turnaround hurt second-round chances

TL;DR

The Minnesota Wild advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs but struggled against the Colorado Avalanche, losing the first two games. Emotional exhaustion from their previous series victory may have impacted their performance.

Key points

The Wild advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
They won their first playoff series since 2015.
The Wild lost their first two games to the Avalanche.
Emotional exhaustion impacted their performance.

Minnesota WildColorado Avalanche

The Wild advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with an impressive six-game win over the second-best team in the NHL’s Western Conference. It was Minnesota’s first playoff series victory since 2015.

The Wild had exorcised a demon that had been plaguing them for 10 years, but the accomplishment might have taken more out of them than they thought.

With only one full day off before starting the second round, the Wild dropped their first two games to the Avalanche by a combined score of 14-8 and fell into a hole they couldn’t get out of.

“Really, it starts with Game 1 and 2,” center Michael McCarron said. “I don’t think we were quite ready (to be) emotionally invested in the series. Sometimes when a team has gone through what the Wild have gone through the past 11, 10 years, of not being able to get through the first round, it’s almost like, ‘We did it.’ Maybe, took a breath.”

That wasn’t all of it, of course.

The Avalanche — the regular-season’s President’s Trophy winner — had been waiting for the Wild or Stars since sweeping an overmatched Kings team in the first round. The Wild, meanwhile, found out after midnight on Friday, May 1, that they would start the second round on Sunday night.

That gave them one full day off between series.

“It seemed like we were a little tired,” said McCarron, a trade deadline acquisition who played a large role for the Wild on their muscle line — two goals and four points in 11 games.

“I know it was a big thing in the Minnesota sports world to get out of the first round,” he added. “I think maybe a lot of guys who have been here for a long time — including me, I’d never been out of the first round — but just coming off that emotional high (was difficult).”

Forward Nick Foligno, a trade deadline acquisition who scored twice in the Wild’s 4-3 overtime loss in Game 5 on Wednesday, said emotional letdowns can happen, and while the Wild finally found themselves in a dominant, 5-1 victory in Game 3, he acknowledged that maybe the damage had been done.

“It’s probably the difference in the series, right?” he said. “You go down 2-nothing that early and we just never could quite find our game.”

Foligno and McCarron were the two deadline acquisitions who found roles on a team that general manager Bill Guerin had loaded for bear, and their perspectives as latecomers — shared Friday as they cleared out lockers and went through team exit interviews — were interesting.

Q&A

What challenges did the Minnesota Wild face in the second round of the playoffs?

The Wild faced emotional exhaustion and a short turnaround after their first-round victory, leading to poor performance against the Avalanche.

When was the last time the Minnesota Wild won a playoff series before this year?

The Minnesota Wild's last playoff series victory before this year was in 2015.

What was the combined score of the first two games between the Wild and Avalanche?

The combined score of the first two games was 14-8 in favor of the Avalanche.

How did the Wild's emotional state affect their performance in the playoffs?

The Wild's emotional state, stemming from their long struggle to win a playoff series, may have led to a lack of readiness and investment in the second round.