It's tough and perhaps even unfair to judge the process of building a team on a handful of games, particularly when they could boil down to the whims of a goalie nobody imagined would be on the roster when the season started. But fair or not, perception is in large part reality. If the Wild loses in five (or four) games to Colorado and looks overmatched again, it will be harder to continue to have faith in the path they are on. Losing more competitively than they lost last season is the baseline for judging progress this year. Actually winning the first-round series would undoubtedly elevate this to a season of progress.
united The Wild has more Facebook "likes" from fans in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota than any other NHL team, per sportingnews.com.
the fall Read about troubled ex-Viking and ex-Packer Darren Sharper, facing sexual assault allegations in five states, via bleacherreport.com.
