Spiders fall big to the Wild

Jan. 13, 2016

By the looks of the box score, the average fan might think that the fan favorites were playing the likes of Devon Dubnyk, Zach Parise, and Mikko Koivu, and, if they were, it would make the score an easier explanation. But unfortunately that was not the case. The team has been struggling to match points with the opposition since their last win on November 23. Since that date, the Spiders have been out-scored 13 to 31.

Short benches, season ending surgeries, season ending penalties, temporary injuries, and the holidays have taken a toll on this team. No single part of the team is to blame but rather they are reaping the sum of the parts and this game would be the worst in many seasons.

This writer tried to find a pattern: Late games, long travel, short benches, etc. With all of that analysis, there isn’t much explanation in the way of a trend. The team is just in a slump. This is the longest streak in franchise history without a win. Two years ago, the team also fell into a Christmas slump and lost five in a row and bounced back to finish strong. We know the team can bounce back and can finish strong, but it will take a full team effort.

The lower lights of this game, the Spiders were able to hold the game scoreless until the 14:34 mark of the first period before the Wild notched their first goal. Eyes were blinking in disbelief, when the period ended and the score was 5-0. By the time the running time, third period finished, the tally was 9-0 with only a handful of real scoring opportunties.

The highlight of the game was that Joe Long finished the game without a penalty.

The upcoming Saturday game is a game that the Spiders have a good chance to even the record against the Yellow Jackets. The team can pull out of this slump but it will take a full team effort starting with enough players on the bench to put to carry the back and forth furry well into the third period.