Morning Skate: The Wild prove firing your coach sometimes pays off

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Lace 'em up. Time for the Morning Skate.

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RUNNING WILD

Maybe Mike Yeo was the problem all along. The Montreal Canadiens can probably learn a lesson from the Minnesota Wild, who fired their longtime coach a couple of weeks ago after a similar free-fall out of the playoff race.

The Wild have won four straight games since then, including a rout of the defending champion Blackhawks on Sunday in the first Stadium Series event of the year. Minnesota has looked far more aggressive and motivated since Yeo's departure. Whether that's because they feel free without him or responsible for his termination, the end result is the same. Minnesota made a difficult decision and it paid immediate dividends at a crucial part of the season.

In the meantime, Habs fans must be left playing the "what if?" game in their heads about Michel Therrien's tenure.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT:

• Chicago basically forgot how to hockey yesterday.
• Besides, we're all tired of watching the Blackhawks in outdoor games anyways, right?
• The Penguins should've been too tired to win on Sunday, but Kris Letang and Phil Kessel are just heating up enough to eke out a win.
• Buffalo started strong but couldn't withstand the constant pressure from Pittsburgh.
• Jimmy Howard's performance wasn't enough as the Red Wings got shut out for the first time this season.
• The Rangers weren't exactly offensive dynamos themselves, but a strong penalty kill deserves the credit for the win.
• Tampa Bay's resurgence continued with back-to-back wins over the weekend.
• Ryan Miller was phenomenal for the Canucks in a victory over the Avalanche.

• The Sabres lost Ryan O'Reilly for three to four weeks with a lower-body injury.
• No, Jimmy Howard isn't a bad goalie.
• It's just that Petr Mrazek is having a terrific season.
• It's time for Canucks fans to enter the 7 Stages of Fan Grief.