This stat is a big reason the Minnesota Wild won't be a playoff team

The Minnesota Wild are going to face the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night in Denver. It is unlikely that the Wild pull off a miracle and get to the playoffs but they are trying to have a strong finish.

The Colorado Avalanche are one of the top three teams in the Central Division along with the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.

The problem for the Wild is that they haven't been able to beat these teams this season. They are a combined 0-9-1 against these three top Central Division teams in 2023-24. That is one point out of a possible 20.

They are currently nine points out of a playoff spot. If they went a measly .500 against them, they'd be right there for a playoff spot.

The Minnesota Wild are a better team than their record shows them to be

If you want to make the playoffs in the NHL, you have to beat the bad teams and play decent enough against the other good teams. The Wild did what they needed to do against other teams in the league but they couldn't take care of any business against their top division rivals. It will cost them.

How does the Wild fix this in 2024-25? Well, they certainly need to have a better start. The top guys on this team had good years but they could have been better if it didn't take them a month to get going.

They will also make a few decisions over the summer that help them improve their roster heading into the new year. They still have to deal with the Zach Parise/Ryan Suter buyouts for another year but they can set themselves up nicely for the following year if they are smart.

It is also a mindset. They need to be at their best when they play these elite teams if they want to win. We'll see who the head coach is heading into next season because that could influence these results as well.

The core guys on this team need to finish strong. Most of them have been playing well lately and need to keep it going. With this big matchup against the Avalanche looming, they could have a strong good and feel good about themselves.