Minnesota Wild Power Rankings - 2012-13
| Power Ranking | ||||
| WEEK | RECORD | RANK | COMMENT | |
| Week 15 | 26-19-3 | 17 | The Wild stumbled down the stretch but still managed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in five years. It may not last long, given their first-round matchup with Chicago, but they're in and that's something. | |
| Week 14 | 24-18-3 | 17 | The Wild can't help themselves, can they? Sunday's disappointing 4-1 loss to Calgary dropped the Wild into a tie in points for the final playoff spot in the West. It's fingernail-biting time in the State of Hockey, as they have just two wins in their past seven. Yikes. | |
| Week 13 | 22-16-3 | 15 | The Wild have just one win in seven April games, although they deserved to win against Columbus on Saturday night, with Sergei Bobrovsky stealing the show. Road games in Calgary on Monday night and Edmonton on Tuesday night must produce points. | |
| Week 12 | 22-14-2 | 13 | The Wild halted a three-game slide with a decisive 3-0 win over Columbus on Sunday. The way Vancouver's going, though, it's going to be tough to dislodge it atop the division. Could these two Northwest teams be destined for a first-round matchup? The Wild play three at home this week. | |
| Week 11 | 21-11-2 | 5 | The Wild came from behind to beat the Los Angeles Kings in a showdown of elite teams in the West on Saturday. The win, coupled with a Vancouver loss to Edmonton, moved the Wild back into the top spot in the Northwest Division. | |
| Week 10 | 10-18-2 | 6 | Make it five straight wins for a Wild team that has come together and is playing its best hockey of the season. Minnesota's three losses in the month of March (8-3-0)? Twice to Anaheim and once to Chicago. They're beating everyone else in the West. | |
| Week 9 | 15-10-2 | 8 | It wasn't pretty, but Saturday's 6-4 victory over Colorado pushed the surging Wild back into the top spot in the Northwest. A fascinating battle with Vancouver is shaping up over the final six weeks of the season for the division title. The Wild are finally getting offensive help from guys such as Devin Setoguchi, which helps spread the burden. | |
| Week 8 | 13-9-2 | 7 | A new team is atop the Northwest Division, after the Wild beat Vancouver Sunday night, making the point that the race for that seed is going to be going down to the wire between the two clubs. | |
| Week 7 | 11-8-2 | 10 | The Wild have quietly managed to go 5-2-1 and creep within two points of the Northwest Division lead. | |
| Week 6 | 8-7-2 | 17 | I predict the Wild make a run soon. It starts this week with wins over Calgary and Phoenix. | |
| Week 5 | 7-6-2 | 16 | The Wild got a huge win Sunday after falling behind 2-0 against Detroit. Darcy Kuemper got the start in goal for the Wild and stopped 29 of 31. | |
| Week 4 | 5-5-1 | 20 | I know the passionate Wild fans are growing restless, but no team was hurt more by the lockout (no preseason, short camp) given the nearly 40 percent roster turnover. It will take time for these guys to jell. | |
| Week 3 | 4-3-1 | 16 | The Wild are still looking for some sort of offensive groove, as they haven't managed to win more than two in a row at any point in this young season. | |
| Week 2 | 2-2-1 | 9 | I know the Wild's record isn't overwhelming, but to me they've already showed they can play with the big boys. Great tilt Sunday night in St. Louis. The top line of Mikko Koivu between Dany Heatley and Zach Parise is on fire. | |
| Week 1 | 0-0-0 | 7 | OK, we buy the buzz. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter will have lots of help in Minnesota, and as long as the goaltending holds up, the Wild could end up on top of a wide-open Northwestern Division. | |
| Preseason | 0-0-0 | 15 | Yes, I know, lots of people are way higher on the Wild after the twin star additions of Parise and Suter. The hype reminds me of Buffalo a year ago after the Sabres' bankrolling offseason. I do believe the Wild will make the playoffs, but before I anoint them Cup contenders I want to see how they jell with their new parts. | |
| Spring Training | 0-0-0 | 10 | When you sign the top two free agents on the market, as GM Chuck Fletcher did in nabbing Suter and Parise, you get to join the top 10, even if you fell like a stone out of a playoff spot last year. Lots of interesting supporting elements, too, in Minnesota. Lots of pressure, too, for sophomore head coach Mike Yeo and the rest of the Wild. | |
