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Minnesota Wild head coach sounds off after embarrassing loss to Avalanche on Sunday

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Theodore Mosby
December 22, 2025 (9:17 PM)

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Wild head coach John Hynes didn't mince words after Minnesota's 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, saying the Wild's compete and want were missing and that his team was "a step slow" against a top-flight opponent.

Brevan Bane from Heavy.com writes that the defeat in Saint Paul snapped Minnesota's seven-game winning streak and a 14-game home point streak, two of the club's more impressive runs this season.

Hynes pointed to speed, execution, and effort as areas where his players "weren't where we needed to be," a blunt assessment that reflected the lopsided scoreline.

Wild head coach unleashes frustration after humiliating Avalanche defeat.

"I thought obviously Colorado played really well, but I just thought for us, I thought our compete, and our want wasn't there.

I just felt we were a step slow and a step off all night, whether it was in the speed in which we played with, our skating, our execution, we were just a little bit of a step behind in those situations." -Hynes

Samuel Girard made the Avalanche pay with a late goal to seal the win, and Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including into the empty net to reach 30 goals on the season while Cale Makar and Brock Nelson each finished with three points in the victory.

Ryan Hartman provided Minnesota's lone goal early in the third period, his ninth of the year, with assists from Jonas Brodin and Kirill Kaprizov.

Jesper Wallstedt faced a heavy shot count, stopping 37 of 41 pucks, but the Wild simply couldn't seize any momentum until the game was already out of reach.

Hynes' comments after the game weren't just about a single night of hockey, they were about identity. A team that has shown it can win consistently was outpaced by an Avalanche squad playing with a sharper edge, forcing Hynes to ask tough questions about consistency and fundamentals.

He said Colorado "played really well" but left little doubt the Wild's own effort was the difference in a game that should have tightened the Western Conference race rather than widen it.

Minnesota now turns the page quickly, with a tough road stretch looming that will test whether Hynes' message resonates with a group trying to stay in the Central Division mix.

Previously on Colorado Hockey Daily

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar just revealed what his team is lacking right now

Insider claims this Avalanche defenseman has completely rewritten his career

Why Colorado's 5-1 victory over the Wild means far more than you think

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DECEMBRE 22 \| 59 ANSWERS Minnesota Wild head coach sounds off after embarrassing loss to Avalanche on Sunday Do you think the Avalanche are still a much better team than the Minnesota Wild?
Yes	58	98.3 %
No	1	1.7 %
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Minnesota Wild head coach sounds off after embarrassing loss to Avalanche on Sunday

Wild head coach John Hynes didn't mince words after Minnesota's 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, saying the Wild's compete and want were missing and that his team was "a step slow" against a top-flight opponent.

Wild head coach unleashes frustration after humiliating Avalanche defeat.

Do you think the Avalanche are still a much better team than the Minnesota Wild?