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Wild coach furious after losing to Blackhawks

Mike Yeo

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2011, file photo, Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo leads his team through NHL hockey practice in St. Paul, Minn. Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher could’ve opted for more experience with his next hire. But he wasn’t deterred, picking Yeo as the new bench boss straight from the team’s top minor league affiliate. (AP Photo/Andy King, File)

AP

A month ago, Mike Yeo was the leading contender for coach of the year.

Today, he’s…um…not.

The Wild suffered its 12th loss in its last 14 games Thursday night in Chicago, a stretch that’s seen Minnesota fall from first in the league to eighth in the Western Conference, just one point clear of ninth-place Dallas...which has two games in hand.

“Everything we needed to do to win this game, we didn’t do,” Yeo said after losing 5-2 to the Blackhawks, as per the StarTribune. “We have to play the right way, and we have to have everybody. And tonight, we didn’t even come close to playing the right way, and we didn’t come close to having everybody.”

Forward Devin Setoguchi agreed his team didn’t play the system “the way we’re supposed to play.”

Translation: the Wild didn’t work hard enough. Because at the end of the day, that’s what Yeo’s system entails. Its goal is to take time and space away from the opponent, pressuring the puck while staying structured. Not pretty and not fun to play, but effective when everyone’s on board.

Over at Sports Club Stats, here’s what the Wild’s chances to make the playoffs throughout the season look like in chart form:

Wild

Even RIM thinks that’s a steep decline.