With this weird Wild team, losing is the best way to predict winning

The Wild played the first half of this NHL season, 41 games, with something that resembled consistency. The exception was a stretch in late November when Minnesota lost five of six games — leading to some palpable tension between Wild go-to guys Ryan Suter and Zach Parise pitted against Mike Yeo, in what could be construed as foreshadowing for Yeo's eventual firing — which was followed by a stretch of six wins in eight games that temporarily kept the ship afloat.

Overall, though, the Wild didn't get incredibly high or low in the first half. And through 41 games, Minnesota stood at 22-11-8 in the standings — 52 points, on pace for 104, a number that in retrospect would have put them at least in the hunt for a high seed in the West given that conference co-leaders Dallas and St. Louis have 105 with two games to play.

We might even look back at those first 41 games and label them among the most stable of Yeo's tenure. One quick dip, one quick spike, but nothing like the massive swoons or above-their-heads hot streaks of years past.

The second half, then, has been so many things by comparison:

*Terrible is a good word to start with. The Wild now has 87 points and can finish with a maximum of 89. It will make the playoffs with the fewest points in the West for a postseason qualifier since 1999-2000, the first year the NHL awarded points for OT losses. It will get a maximum of 37 points in the second half of the season — a pace over a full season that would put the Wild among the worst teams in the NHL.

*Framed more favorably, the word fortunate could be used. Despite that second-half collapse, the Wild is in the postseason. And in the playoffs, not much matters but the seven potential games in front of a team. Minnesota benefited from a middling year from Colorado, which included a late slump. The Wild also were aided by Arizona's second half collapse. Through 41 games, the Coyotes had 46 points. They now have 77.

*But the overall word I would use to describe the second half is "streaky." And that gives rise to weird theory about the Wild as it prepares for the playoffs: the best way to predict that this team is about to go on a winning streak is to ask, "Is the Wild currently on a losing streak?" The answer is yes, with four losses in a row.

*The Wild lost 13 of the first 14 games to start the second half of the season, a brutal stretch that ended with Yeo being fired.

*John Torchetti took over and the Wild won its next four games … then lost its next three games … then won its next four again … then lost four of its next five … then won its next six … and now has lost its last four going into Saturday's meaningless (in the standings) finale against Calgary.

I couldn't tell you the exact reason for the up-and-down nature of this team, but we've seen in more than enough over the years — and now with another coach, albeit in a small sample size — to conclude it is a real thing.

One might assert that the Wild's roster is filled with a high number of players who thrive on confidence and therefore fly high when times are good but find deeper ruts when things are bad. If you want to attribute this to a question of mental toughness, that's your business.

One might note that for whatever reason the Wild has a hard time manufacturing urgency and has players who collectively only get that sense when the time is imminent. (As someone who works on deadline but has a hard time hitting a manufactured deadline, I can relate to this, even if I can also see how it frustrates anyone with a vested interest in the Wild).

With this Wild squad, though, you might conclude just the opposite. This is a team that is most dangerous just when everything looks to be at its worst, and when everything is on the line.