A few minutes after his team dropped a third straight game to the Chicago Blackhawks, coach Mike Yeo stood behind a wooden podium, dumbfounded by the nearly insurmountable deficit his club now faces.
"I've never been here before," Yeo said. He chuckled, perhaps thinking about his good fortune. "This is unfamiliar territory."
Yet here the Wild are, staring at a 3-0 deficit in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal against the mighty Chicago Blackhawks, needing four straight wins to advance.
When they take the ice for Game 4 Thursday night in St. Paul, their season will be on the line.