Triple Threat

1. Anger
2. Disappointment
3. Shot glass filled with Patron

These three things probably make for one very good reason NOT to blog about your hockey team doing it's very best to lose their last hope for making the playoffs - for the first time since 2008.  In the absolute WORST outing of this season, and that's saying something when you think about some of the craptastic games they've played prior to tonight, the Wild managed to skate themselves into a very dark corner.  They have nobody to blame but themselves.  The consistently inconsistent play they've employed up to this point has put them exactly where they deserve to be: embarrassed and desolate.

It should be noted that the Wild are consistent at one thing:
PLAYING DOWN TO OR BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE SHITTIEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE.  The history and stats speak for themselves on this. 

Backstrom was pulled after giving up 3 goals on the first 5 shots the Oilers tossed at him.  He was never even in the game, period.  He looked totally PISSED when the camera showed him sitting on the bench.  Well, you're a sieve from time to time, Backs.  It's the truth.  It happens to every goalie, good or bad, and there's no telling when it's coming your way.  Of course it happens to Backstrom when his Dmen couldn't stop a puck from getting past a brick wall and his forwards couldn't put a puck in the Grand Canyon.  Never a good combo.

Poor Josh Harding didn't fair any better.  He went in the net as 19,990 fans jeered Backs off the ice.  Josh let in 3 more goals.  The camera showed Parise looking like he wished he'd never signed here.  The team got booed off the ice a full 30 seconds before the buzzer sounded the end of the second period.

A moment of recognition for Khabibulin - Still the Bhulin Wall, my hockey friends.  This guy made it look like the Wild were tossing beach balls his way.  The Wild actually outshot the Oilers, tossing 39 of said beach balls at Khabibulin compared to the minimalistic 17 shots our goaltending tandem faced.  Doesn't make it any easier to accept the kind of game we endured.   

A moment of recognition for those Wild players who did generate some pretty drives to the ozone and pressured Khabibulin.  Cullen, Clutterbuck, Setoguchi really brought the effort at times.  Turnovers and the inability to clear our zone negated those efforts as much as the Oilers goaltender did all on his own.      

Third period showed a Wild team on the bench that wouldn't even look at each other.  Yeo was playing cheerleader, which irritates the shit out of me.  Grow a pair of balls and start spewing fire at these guys.  There were a few really good efforts to gain the zone and pepper Khabi and yes, one puck FINALLY went in so, no shut out.  Small consolation for the crowd at the last home game of the season.  Nobody in the stands stood and cheered. 

Yeo did grow a spine late in the period, but spent the energy yelling at somebody on the Oilers bench instead turning that anger on his players who really deserved it.  Mike's patented response of "looking forward, not looking back" is getting old.  He's got one more game before he's quite possibly looking forward to golfing, for a living.  Seriously, who's going to be on the chopping block if the Wild drop from having been the sixth seed to not even going to the dance?  It ain't gonna be Parise or Suter, that's for damn sure. 

Via Russo's Rants let's look at how the Wild have royally cocked it up tonight:

--Wild goes 2-0 and San Jose loses in regulation tomorrow at Los Angeles, and the Wild finishes sixth and plays Vancouver.

--Wild goes 2-0 and San Jose gets a point, the Wild finishes seventh and plays Anaheim

--Wild goes 1-1 (regulation, overtime or shootout win) and Detroit loses at Dallas Saturday in regulation, overtime or shootout), the Wild finishes seventh because of tiebreaker.

--Wild goes 1-1 and Detroit beats Dallas, the Wild finishes eighth.

--Wild goes 0-2 and Columbus loses in regulation to Nashville Saturday, the Wild finishes eighth.

--Wild goes 0-2 and Columbus gets a point Saturday, Wild is eliminated.

Note to the idiots who are the hockey broadcasters on FSN: This is EXACTLY what is known as Backing Into The Playoffs. 
Standing there telling me the Wild DESERVE to be "here" (the playoffs) because they've EARNED it. 
Yep, the Wild certainly deserve to be looking at the ass end of things.  Their INCONSISTENT play and now also having to depend on other teams to lose absolutely put them where they're deserve to be - on the verge of being out of the playoffs with just one game remaining in the regular season.

Tomorrow - when the light of day comes and the Patron has worn off - I'll write about something happy.  Playoff Hockey.  It's the best hockey around.  Even if your team may not be in it, AGAIN.