Wild coach Dean Evason pulled his goalie midway through the third period on Sunday. Maybe for the rest of the season.
With a 6-on-5 advantage, Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals before a couple of empty-netters gave Dallas a 6-3 victory at Xcel Energy Center, where the few fans remaining booed at the final buzzer, almost as if they've been paying attention.
The Wild has lost eight of its past 10 games to endanger what seemed like a sure playoff spot. Afterward, Evason and three players used the word "fragile" so often they sounded like their business was blowing glass instead of games.
Credit them for being honest enough about their freefall that they used interviews as a form of group therapy, but hockey teams are not supposed to be fragile.
This team, right now, has a spine of papier-mâché.
"There's a fragility we haven't seen all year," said Nico Sturm.
Sturm gave the Wild a 1-0 lead in a first period that his team dominated. Dallas scored the next four goals and might have won 4-1 if Evason, who changed goalies in the second period, hadn't left the net empty for almost half the third period.
After Kaprizov's second goal, the Wild had been outscored 4-1 when they had a goalie in net and were up 2-0 when the net was empty.
"It's almost like, I don't want to say panic, or that we're scared to lose, but like we said, everybody knows what's going on," Sturm said.
A diagnosis is not a cure.
With the NHL trade deadline two weeks away and the Wild ailing, here's a checklist of the team's most pressing needs:
— A goalie. Or two.
— Quality defensive depth.
— A large, physical defenseman — or two — to clear the Wild crease, which opponents have turned into a smoking lounge.
— Penalty killers.
— A large search party of Sherlock Holmes-caliber detectives to find their scorers.
If Wild General Manager Bill Guerin wants to fix this team, his shopping list is longer than a Minnesota winter.
When you have this many problems, this many needs, a week into March, you may be beyond help.
Until recently, the Wild had put together a fun and successful season, and contemplating deadline-deal trades was an enjoyable way to pass time between entertaining games.
Now that the Wild has fallen apart, Guerin, the Wild's general manager, should avoid the most common mistake made by his predecessor. Chuck Fletcher loved burning assets at the trade deadline. Rarely did they achieve the desired effect.
Guerin should and probably will be more realistic about potential deals.
Remember, most of the intelligent analysis surrounding the team in the offseason held that the Wild may need time to rebuild or reset after releasing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and paying a heavy financial price.
Instead, the Wild played with a renewed and youthful enthusiasm, overachieving for much of the hockey calendar.
If the Wild had struggled early and was surging into playoff contention, March would have a different feel to it, and perhaps Guerin would be encouraged enough to make a minor deal.
The opposite has happened. This team has given Guerin no reason to believe in it.
If Guerin makes a deal, it should be one that will benefit the Wild next year and beyond, not to prop up this meandering group.
Sunday, Evason started backup goalie Kaapo Kahkonen. After Kahkonen allowed a soft goal that made it 4-1 Dallas in the second period, Evason replaced him with Cam Talbot, who has been fighting the puck and losing.
Both goalies have been problematic of late, and they haven't received nearly enough help from the defense.
Let's not let the forwards off the hook.
In the modern NHL, you're allowed to win 6-5 once in a while, and the Wild's most talented players — Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala — are scorers. Sunday, Kaprizov looked typically dangerous. Fiala was far too invisible for a player of his skill. If he's not going to help halt this slide, he's not going to be around much longer.
Fragile and soft is no way to head into a playoff run, or trade season.
