CALGARY, ALBERTA – Some of the Wild's best performances have come against NHL powerhouses, with victories over Carolina, Tampa Bay and Toronto headlining the team's résumé.
But in its first meetup with Calgary, another Stanley Cup contender, the Wild was at its worst — getting steamrolled by the Flames 7-3 on Saturday night to close out its four-game road trip through Canada with three consecutive losses.
"We definitely got to look ourselves in the mirror," Nick Bjugstad said.
Since that was the beginning of a home-and-home with the Flames, the Wild doesn't have to wait long for a chance at a do-over.
Calgary will be at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday for the rematch and fortunately for the Wild, the team has recent intel of what doesn't work against its Western Conference rival.
"This is one of the better teams in the league," Bjugstad said. "We want to show we can play with them. I think it's a positive we see them here in a couple days."
Although the Wild scored first on Saturday, a deflection by Frederick Gaudreau for his second goal in as many games just 1 minute, 36 seconds after puck drop, the team unraveled after that.
Not only did the Wild chase the Flames and the puck, getting outshot 18-4 in the first period, but the players' intensity paled in comparison to Calgary's urgency. The Flames were aggressive up ice, along the boards and in front of the net, and that pressure culminated in five consecutive goals to flip a one-goal deficit into a four-goal advantage.
Tyler Toffoli started the comeback, Matthew Tkachuk seized the lead on the power play and Erik Gudbranson made it 3-1 before the first ended.
Even though the Wild began to test Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom more frequently in the second, the team didn't capitalize. But Calgary did, scoring twice more in the waning stages of the period — including a shorthanded breakaway by Blake Coleman.
"We just seem to be right now a little bit fragile when we get scored [on]," Marcus Foligno said.
In the third, the Wild offense
reappeared with goals by Bjugstad and Kirill Kaprizov. But empty-netters from Tkachuk and Toffoli ensured the final score matched how lopsided the action was.
Afterward, coach Dean Evason said the team was "embarrassed" and would be embarrassed again on Tuesday if the Wild had the same effort.
"The players, they've gotta challenge themselves," Evason said. "We're going to challenge them again and again, but they're professional and they're going to look in the mirror at some point and realize that's not good enough."
As if an outcome like this wasn't concerning enough, it's the latest addition to a slump that continues to grow.
This three-game skid is the second-longest drought of the season for the Wild, which has dropped five of six overall.
Maybe returning to St. Paul will help, with 12 of the team's next 16 games at Xcel Energy Center, where the Wild has thrived. But the issues that have plagued the team recently seem more reflective of the Wild than where it plays and who its opponent is.
"It takes one win to get us feeling good again," Foligno said. "But sometimes when you're in that funk, the next win's the toughest thing. So, right now we just got to get home and make sure we put up a good fight next game.
"It is what it is. We just didn't have it. This trip was tough. It was mentally tough for us, and we got throw it out the window and just move on and be better next game."
