Two weeks ago, I wrote about how far a lot of Minnesota teams had come in the past five years, noting that many of them were trending upward.
Long-term, I still very much believe that to be true. But in the short term — the first 13 days of 2016 — the trajectory isn't just pointing down … it's falling off the map.
Most notably, there's this stat, which was pointed out by colleague Jim Foster: since the new year, the Vikings (0-1), Timberwolves (0-5), Wild (0-3) and Gophers men's basketball team (0-2) are a combined 0-11 in home games.
Some of this pain is temporary; the Vikings' home loss was a heartbreaker, but it came at the end of a very good season. The Wild is riding its traditional roller-coaster, but a playoff spot is still a very strong possibility (88.9 percent, according to Hockey Reference).
The Wolves and Gophers? Eh, not so much. Their best years are ahead of them by the default of they can't get much worse.
But regardless of circumstance or long-term prognosis, 0-11 is a grim reality in 2016. For some gallows humor, let's take a crack at guessing, in order, which of those four teams will be the first to win a home game in 2016:
• Wild: This is the strongest bet on a couple of fronts. First, of the three of these teams currently playing, the Wild always has the best chance of winning. Second, the Wild has the first home game of any of these teams, taking on Winnipeg on Friday at Xcel Energy Center. That said, the Wild is just 1-2 against the Jets this year, and after Friday the Wild isn't home again until Jan. 25.
• Timberwolves: The Wolves are a mess right now, and they're only 5-17 this season at home. That said, their next home game is Sunday against the Suns — who are 1-9 in their past 10 games and are equally a mess.
