The Minnesota Wild have fallen to third place in the tight Northwest division. And while most analysts still expect the Wild to make the playoffs, that desired outcome is far from a certainty. The Wild’s struggles started at the beginning of February, and have only deepened since. They have had poor performances in nearly every game since February 2nd, no matter the caliber of their opposition.

Games against playoff teams have more often than not been embarrassing, and games against non-playoff teams have been flat-out humiliating. The coaching staff has found some positives, such as after a shoot-out loss to the Sharks on Sunday. After giving up two first period goals, the Wild were choked out by a stifling defense, yet still managed to tie the game on a shot from the point by Brian Rolston.

After that game, Coach Jacques Lemaire said, “I think this could go a long way for us, I believe that. Let’s say I’m feeling a lot more positive than I did a week ago.” The fact of the matter is, the previous game was a shootout loss to Atlanta, the latest in a series of poor showings against teams the Wild should dominate.

The Wild do have positives to claim. Brent Burns continues to be a revelation, setting franchise scoring records for a defenseman. Marian Gaborik has all but completed the entire season without his recurring groin injury becoming a problem, and has showed the type of player he is capable of being, even being named captain this month for the first time in his career.

Unfortunately, individual successes have not lead to team success in the waning months of the season. The Wild’s role players such as Aaron Voros, Todd Fedoruk, and Mark Parrish have not produced meaningfully of late. Parrish even spent a day being lambasted by his coach and general manager, before being a healthy scratch for one game, the first time this happened since his rookie season.

At the same time the Wild have struggled, the competition in the Northwest has turned on the gas. The Flames overtook the Wild in less than a week at the end of February, and the newly-revived Avalanche have surged into a tie for first place. The Canucks are playing solid hockey as well, and are just one point behind the Wild for the seventh spot in the Western Conference.

Analysts predict the Wild to make the playoffs. Very few predict them to win the Northwest Division, and with the way the Wild have played as of late, they cannot be blamed for being skeptics. The truth is that the Wild will make the playoffs simply because the competition below the eighth spot is not capable of making a push past them. Nashville’s remaining schedule does not bode well for a playoff push, and the Coyotes making up eight points would be a come back of historic proportions.

That said, the Wild’s schedule looks none too forgiving, either. Minnesota finishes the season with the Devils, three against the now-potent Avs, three against the Canucks, one final stanza with the Sharks, and two against the Flames. Should the Wild hope to win the Northwest Division and avoid the Red Wings in the first round, they will need to find a way to win a large majority of these games. And if past performance is any indication, the Wild are in real trouble.

They have gone from a team that was unpredictable to a team that is far too predictable. A month ago, the prediction that the Wild will make the playoffs would have been a safe one. The only safe bet about the Wild now is that there is no safe bet. The Wild will probably reach the playoffs, but if they continue to play the way they have been, it will be a very short stay.