Zuccarello irked by slumping Wild's loss to Isles: Got to have 'urgency'
Wild forward Mats Zuccarello was lost for words after Minnesota's 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday night, but he's well aware that his club's postseason positioning isn't as solid as it once was.
"It's hard to get to the playoffs," he said. "Few games left and you've got to have that urgency to have a little dog in you to just say, 'Eff it,' you know, and go.
"But honestly, I don't know what to say. You might get better answers from some other guys right now. It's just frustrating to lose a game like that at an important time of the year."
Though Zuccarello drew first blood with a second-period goal on Friday, the Islanders wasted no time turning the tide. Casey Cizikas got New York on the board 36 seconds later, and Simon Holmstrom bagged the eventual game-winner just under two minutes after that.
"That's obviously not what you want to happen," Minnesota head coach John Hynes said of the disastrous sequence. "I think the guys that are on the ice, I think we needed more from the group of them, and we didn't get it in those particular instances."
The Wild have picked up just one win in their last seven games and have gone 8-10-3 since the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, ranking 24th in the league with a .452 points percentage over that span.
At the same time, the St. Louis Blues have caught fire, winning 11 straight contests to claim the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Wild currently occupy the second spot, but the Calgary Flames are just five points back with two games in hand.
"We've been in a great spot the entire year," said Wild defenseman Brock Faber. "There's been a really tough stretch for us. Every single person is negative aside from the guys in the room."
He added, "We're working our ass off and trying to piece together a win. It's just been a challenge. ... It's hard when you work a whole year and sacrifice your body, everything you can to win, and just can't find one."
Friday's defeat was costly in more ways than one, as defenseman Jake Middleton crashed headfirst into the boards after taking a hit from Islanders forward Bo Horvat in the middle frame. Horvat was assessed a minor penalty for boarding on the play.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin was irate that Horvat wasn't given a major. Postgame, the executive yelled at reporters not to ask Hynes about the call and to question referee Francois St-Laurent instead, per The Athletic's Michael Russo. Guerin also referred to St-Laurent as "that f-----g asshole."
Minnesota, meanwhile, is turning its attention to Sunday's tilt with the Dallas Stars.
"We've just got to refocus. We're a confident group, we're a good hockey team, and we love each other a whole lot," Faber said. "It's one game at a time, and this one's behind us now."