Time to Hit the Panic Button? Saskatoon Drops 4th Straight

[fromtheinside 1,278]

Much like the current change of seasons, things seem to be changing quickly in Saskatoon... and much like the leaves of a tree in autumn, the Wild will begin falling down the standings quickly if they can't sort things out with their club. Coming off a weekend chalked full of roster turnover, the new look Wild have fumbled out the gate after two more disappointing losses Monday night versus Miami and Halifax. The first game of the night was versus the Miami Marauders and it was over early as the Marauders stormed out to an early 3-0 lead in the first frame anchored by a 3 point effort by rookie dynamo Cabe McJake. Despite limiting Miami to 14 shots all game and doubling them with 28 shots of their own, it wasn't nearly enough. 

 

In their second matchup of the night, the Wild clashed with the Halifax 21st in a clash of two top seeded titans in the VHLM. Unfortunately it was another L for the Wild. This outcome isn't entirely shocking as Halifax is widely considered the odds-on favourite to go all the way this year in the VHLM. The key thing to note for the Wild this game was their inability to cash in on their chances. Despite having 7 man advantages this game, they only were able to convert on one of them and that was the difference this game. 

 

This slump comes at an awful time for the players, as the trade deadline is this week. No doubt the players on the Wild are in for some sleepless nights and wondering if they will be on the move in the coming days. What is the answer to right the ship? It seems as though the high end talent on the team such as Brian Strong Jr, Florent Vericel, Alex Zouzouambe and Gabe Johnson are depended on for all the offensive load. The offense has really dried up over the course of their skid and some depth scoring from the newcomers on the team could definitely remedy that. We will have to see how things shake out going into the league's trade deadline. Coming up next for the Wild are two big matchups that feature two more strong teams in the VHL. First they will face-off against the Mississauga Hounds who are boasting an absurd 14 game winning streak. After that things won't get much easier as they are set to clash  with the Yukon Rush in a game that will have first place implications in the Western Conference. Buckle in Saskatoon fans, it's going to be a Wild ride to the finish of the regular season!