Darcy Kuemper was pulled from Saturday’s embarrassing 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, yet he wasn’t even the Minnesota Wild goalie with the worst numbers tonight.
Technically speaking, Niklas Backstrom was a little worse, as he allowed three goals on 14 shots (.786 save percentage) while Kuemper gave up four goals on 21 (.810 save percentage).
Really, though, when it’s 7-1, there isn’t much sense singling any one player out.
For forward Ryan Carter, it might just be a new low for the struggling team, as the Pioneer Press’ Chad Graff reports.
“This one stings,” Carter said. “Feels like rock bottom.”
Zach Parise: "We've got a lot of players that individually need to be a lot better." Said that includes him. #mnwild
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) January 4, 2015
Things have been brutal for Minnesota during the last three weeks in particular. They’ve lost seven of nine games, including three in overtime, as questions continue to loom regarding their goalies and other areas of the game.
Parise: "it's not fun, it's embarrassing. ... It's been a common theme - no energy.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 4, 2015
No doubt, the Stars deserve some credit for this situation.
Dallas has now won eight of nine games and four in a row, including a 13-1 mark in the last two contests. Minnesota won’t want to make excuses, but the Stars were probably the worst opponent at the worst time for the Wild.
Regardless, the Wild now find themselves searching for answers at 18-15-4.