Wilderness Walk: Keeping it Simple

Tech issues today, folks, so bear with me as I do what the Minnesota Wild have done in the face of things not going according to plan: keep it simple.

Wild's late wait to confirm playoff fate worth the time - StarTribune.com
More than 2½ hours after the Wild blanked the Oilers 3-0 on Monday, the process of clinching a playoff berth was complete when the Kings held off the Avalanche 3-1, with the news lighting up the team's group text.

Scoggins: Wild, Wolves show far separate approaches in playoff pushes - StarTribune.com
Both teams are jockeying for playoff positioning in this critical week, but things have become a little harried for each one for different reasons.

Wild's Suter leaves a major void to fill - StarTribune.com
North Score: No one player is going to fill all that Ryan Suter does for the Wild. The mantra coming out of the dressing room is that everybody on the blue line must step up their game

Wild clinch sixth consecutive playoff berth: 'Now the fun part starts'
Various members of the MN Wild stayed up late on Monday night to watch the team clinch its sixth consecutive playoff berth thanks to the Los Angeles Kings earning a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Young Wild blue line plays well without Ryan Suter, but tougher challenges await
The young MN Wild blue line played well without Ryan Suter in a 3-0 victory Monday over Edmonton, but tougher challenges await a defense icing three players that started the season at AHL Iowa.

Generations of Shavers leave mark on Minnesota hockey broadcasting - StarTribune.com
Al Shaver, who called North Stars games on WCCO Radio and rode it to a Hall of Fame career, is 90 and retired. Son, Wally, and grandson, Jason, carry on the family's broadcasting heritage.

Wild-Card Roundup: East, West races look as though they will come down to the wire | The Hockey News
The Eastern and Western Conference wild-card races are as close as ever as the final week of the 2017-18 season begins, and there's a chance the final playoff seedings won't be determined until the final day of the season.

The Norris Contenders: Which 10 defensemen are in the hunt for the award? | The Hockey News
The Norris Trophy race is as close, if not closer, than the Hart Trophy race, but there are 10 top contenders who appear to be set to battle it out in balloting come the end of the campaign.

Sedins get set to say goodbye, but we’ll see them again in Hall of Fame | The Hockey News
The Sedins will pull on Vancouver Canucks jerseys three more times before skating into the sunset, and it won't be long before we see them enter the Hall of Fame.

Fab Four: A pre-playoff peek at the Bruins, Lightning, Predators and Jets | The Hockey News
Boston and Tampa Bay in the East, Nashville and Winnipeg in the West. They've emerged as the NHL's best teams this season. With the fast-approaching playoffs in mind, here's a look at how they stack up in 10 key categories.

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid Should Win the Hart Trophy
In one of the more highly debated Hart Trophy races in recent NHL history, should Connor McDavid win the Hart Trophy in 2017-18? Here's the case in favor of McDavid winning back-to-back Hart Trophies over Nikita Kucherov, Taylor Hall, Nathan MacKinnon and others.

Five Potential First Round Matchups in the 2018 NHL Playoffs
With the playoffs just over a week away and playoff matchups starting to form, now is the time to look at potential first round series. Learn which ones will be most entertaining if things break the correct way, including a possible first round matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.

Down Goes Brown: 10 types of games you see in NHL's final week
It's the final week of the 2017–18 NHL regular season. Today, let's break down 10 types of games you may encounter down the stretch.

Takeaways: Jets on autopilot with playoffs around the corner - Sportsnet.ca
Locked in second place in the Central for weeks, and almost as cemented into a first-round meeting with the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice went to the bullpen Tuesday night in Montreal.