If you just look at the scores of Game 1 and 2, it looks like the Chicago Blackhawks have been blowing the Minnesota Wild out. Late goals still count, but it’s worth mentioning that Minnesota was close for chunks of both of those contests.
Wild head coach Mike Yeo certainly seem to back up the notion that the gap between the Blackhawks and Wild hasn’t been as large as the cumulative 9-3 score and 2-0 series lead for Chicago might indicate.
“We weren’t that far off, that game was hanging there for us,” Yeo said. " ... One of these games we need to find a way to grab a lead and play with it.”
Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville maintained that there are “no easy series” and pointed out how loud it’s likely to be in Minnesota as the series switches locales in Games 3 and 4.
If the Wild really want a bright side to look on, perhaps they should ponder how much rosier things could be if the likes of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter can start scoring points against the Blackhawks. That’s been easier said than done in 2014 (not to mention in losing in five games in a 2013 playoff series), however:
4-1 loss. #mnwild big guns shut down for 7th straight playoff game against #blackhawks
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 4, 2014
One way or another, the Wild need to break through. Yeo seems optimistic about the chances of that happening, at least.
