After seeing the guys put every ounce of energy into closing out their recent insanely long road trip on a high note, it shouldn’t have been at all surprising that the Wild’s first game back at Xcel Energy Center in nearly three weeks could be a dud. In retrospect, it should have been especially predictable considering that said first game back was against the defending Stanley Cup champions, with whom Minnesota historically tends to struggle.
The effort was there, but the Wild didn’t have it. The Capitals did. We move on to the next one.