The Minnesota Wild are in the middle of an intense playoff race in the Western Conference, but you wouldn't have been able to figure that out by watching their embarrassing 6-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday night.
It was a shocking defeat for Minnesota, whose effort level was terrible for a team that still hasn't clinched a playoff berth.
The Oilers were eliminated from the playoff race last week and had nothing to play for, but they were still able to earn a 3-0 first-period lead after taking just five shots.
Wild forward Matt Cullen spoke after the game about his team's loss (per Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star-Tribune):
The outcome of this game has impacted the Western Conference playoff race as a whole, not just the Wild's chances of finishing in the top eight of the standings.
Minnesota is tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with 53 points. The Wild entered Friday with two games remaining on their schedule, giving them a great opportunity to clinch a playoff spot against some weak competition.
The good news ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nicholas Goss
How Ugly Minnesota Wild Loss Shakes Up Western Conference Playoff Race
April 26th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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