Slow start, late lost battle along the wall cost the Wild

It seems the Minnesota Wild always wants to make things difficult

The team wins six straight to create a comfort zone in the chase for the playoffs only to lose back-to-back games.

Wild coach John Torchetti seemed to be happier with his team's battle level tonight than he did after Friday's loss to Ottawa. His team down 2-0 in the second period, his decision to put Mikael Granlund on a line with Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise paid off with both Wild goals.

But a rather slow start, costly back-to-back penalties in the first period and a lost battle along the wall early in the third was enough for the Wild to come up short, 3-2.

Here are some thoughts on the game.

--Torchetti didn't mention anyone by name. But he wasn't happy that the Wild took two quickly penalties mid-way through the first period. Jarrett Stoll went off for slashing at 9:36. The Wild killed that one off. But just seconds after it was over Jason Zucker went off for tripping in the Wild offensive zone.

It appears that was the penalty that bothered Torchetti the most. He bemoaned what he called a ''lazy penalty.'' The Red Wings quickly converted on the second power play, taking a lead they never lost.

--Down 2-0 in the second, Torchetti switched up the lines. And, for most of the rest of the game, the Wild at the very least played the Wings even. Parise's hustle led to Jonas Brodin's second-period goal – his first since Nov. 21 -- and that line also produced Granlund's goal at 9:43 of the third that drew the Wild within 3-2. Torchetti also said he liked the way Charlie Coyle played when moved to center between Thomas Vanek and Zucker. I'd bet Torchetti sticks with the Granlund-Koivu-Parise line in Winnipeg; Parise and Koivu were both a plus-2, Granlund a plus-1.

--After the game Torchetti said he wanted his players to shoot more, put more pucks on net. Even from bad angles, referencing Tomas Tatar's bad-angle goal in the second period. "We didn't shoot enough tonight," Torchetti said. "We've got to do a better job with shot attempts. 'Cause that's what they did. They threw 'em in from everywhere, from bad angles. And they got us on one from behind the net.''