The race for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs is on, and the final stretch is making everything more intense than ever. With just a few more games remaining for each team, this is the last lap, and the competition is mind-boggling. The final few berths to the playoffs are yet to be booked, and it’s understandable why these last few days before the knockout stage are being perceived as the most important ones of the season. But for fans of the Minnesota Wild, the hope might already be over.

Despite making it to the playoffs 13 times, the Minnesota Wild has yet to win its first-ever Stanley Cup and cement its status among the NHL elites. With a stacked team, many fans were hopeful that this season could become the much-awaited year to see the Wilds lift the Cup. However, that seems like a distant dream at the moment.

Minnesota Wild records a rare loss at Long Island

The Minnesota Wild sit at the 5th spot in the Central Division. With their latest loss to the Islanders tonight, the team sits on a four-match losing streak, with the last of those three coming on the road. Along with that, the chances of making the playoffs have vanished. The Athletic’s NHL expert, Michael Russo, took to X on April 4 to highlight the massive blow to the guts that Minnesota was handed at the UBS Arena tonight.

“Horrific loss for the #mnwild on Long Island against a sinking team that was winless in 6 and hadn’t beaten them since 2019,” read the caption of the wailing post, underscoring how the Wilds blew a 1-0 lead to record only one victory in their last 7 games. Making things worse for Minnesota, defenseman Jake Middleton suffered an upper-body injury in the second period when the Islanders’ Bo Horvat pushed the former into the boards.

Naturally, things look bleak. “Buckle up folks!” urged Russo in his social media update, reminding the fans that the Minnesota Wild will be facing the Dallas Stars next, the team that is currently in second place in the Central Division and has already qualified for the 2025 playoffs. Before winning tonight, the Islanders were winless for six straight games. For obvious reasons, the defeat is looking like a hard pill to swallow for Wild fans. But while their Stanley Cup ambitions have been buried under the ground, how could Minnesota finish its regular season run?

The Wild’s setback gives others hope

Minnesota Wild has 4 more games to wrap up a pretty disappointing season. With 89 points at hand, the Wilds could finish the season with 97 points to their name if they manage to win all four of those games. However, the team’s loss to the Islanders has sent out quite a ripple in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Considering wildcard entries play a vital role in the playoffs, Minnesota’s woes seem to have opened the gates to the knockout stage wide open for Calgary.

The Flames are in fourth place in their division and have two games in hand on the Blues, which gives them a fighting chance to make it to the playoffs. The team could finish with 96 points and send them beyond the regular season if both the LA Kings and the Edmonton Oilers fumble along the way. Justifiably, Flames fans are bracing up with high hopes.

“Believe it or not, but the #Flames technically control their own destiny again,” wrote Matchsticks & Gasoline on X on Friday after the Minnesota Wild gave away the match to the hosts in New York. And yet, despite the rough patch, Minnesota coach John Hynes remains optimistic. “That’s our objective every night. And, you know, as I said, this time year is all about winning. And you got to get points. And, you know, we’d like to get two,” the coach said before Friday’s match, only to be left heartbroken once again. But can the others make the most of the Wilds’ misfortune? Tell us who you think will make the playoffs in a comment!