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Introduction: Different team, different expectations, same playoff results. That's the story of the Wild, which lost Game 6 to St. Louis 5-1 and dropped the series 4 games to 2. The Blues scored nine of the last 10 goals in the series. They had eight power play goals to just four for the Wild. And the Wild is now 32-58 all-time in postseason games. Those are sobering numbers for the organization t...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand puts together a checklist for the Wild heading into a must-win Game 6 against the Blues on Thursday night. At the top of that list: Someone aside from Kirill Kaprizov stepping up and scoring some goals and a goalie -- whether it's Marc-Andre Fleury or Cam Talbot -- making the sorts of saves that can steal a game. Otherwise, it's going to be a disappointing result an...

Introduction: Kirill Kaprizov had two more goals, giving him seven in just five playoff games. But the Wild still finds itself in a 3-2 hole after dropping Tuesday's Game 5 at home 5-2 to St. Louis. Sloppy play in the third period, preceded by a deflating goal late in the second, was the Wild's undoing. Now it faces elimination Thursday in St. Louis. Will anyone step up and join Kaprizov? And shou...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks ahead to Tuesday's critical Game 5 between the Wild and Blues and finds himself wanting a lot more from Kevin Fiala. After registering just a goal and an assist in seven playoff games last year, Fiala has just one assist through four games against St. Louis. Whether he can get it going will tell the story of how far the Wild ultimately goes in this postseason...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included the Wild splitting Games 3 and 4 in St. Louis to set up a critical Game 5 back at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday. Based on the players the Blues are missing, this should be the Wild's series to take, Reusse said, even after missing an opportunity in Game 4. Plus Reusse wants to see...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand previews the Lynx season, which starts with a big test Friday in Seattle. Can a largely veteran roster extend the Lynx's streak to 12 straight postseason appearances and compete for a championship, or will a roster squeeze and health concerns derail the season? Head coach and GM Cheryl Reeve weighs in on the challenges of building a team in this era of the WNBA. 9:0...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of the overwhelmingly positive 6-2 final result for the Wild on Wednesday as it evened its playoff series against St. Louis at 1-1. Kirill Kaprizov had a hat trick, Marc-Andre Fleury showed why he is a battle-tested future Hall of Famer and the team in general cashed in on chances. But St. Louis also had more shots, more hits and arguably the better of th...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand tries to make sure the Twins get some proper attention after they won for the 11th time in 12 games Tuesday. Ryan Jeffers was the offensive hero in the win over Baltimore with a three-run homer. The Twins are now 15-9 and four games ahead of any other team in the American League Central. 5:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand in the aftermath of the W...

Host Michael Rand goes in deep on the Wild after Monday's damaging 4-0 loss to St. Louis in Game 1 of the playoffs. Home ice advantage? Gone. Stupid penalties leading to the type of game the Blues wanted and directly leading to three of the four goals? Yes. Second-guessing of the goalie choice? Sure, but that wasn't the reason the Wild lost. It's going to be a day of soul-searching for Minnesota,...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand as they tie a bow on the Wolves' season and look ahead to the Wild's playoff series starting Monday night against St. Louis. Reusse and Rand agree: The Wolves' backcourt is a concern, and if there's a way to move off of D'Angelo Russell this offseason the organization should pursue a trade. After a 46-win season and competitive playoff...

Host Michael Rand watched everything unfold Friday and decided there was too much going on to wait two more days to talk about it all. First he dissects the ultimate Wolves' collapse, as Minnesota lost a double-digit fourth quarter lead for the third time in its series against Memphis in a season-ending loss Friday. The Wolves were outscored 114-58 in the fourth quarters of Games 3, 5 and 6. Now t...

Introduction: The Vikings moved back 20 spots in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, adding additional picks in the process. But was it really worth it to drop from No. 12 to No. 32, where they selected Georgia safety Lewis Cine? Time will tell, but at first blush it seems like the Vikings didn't get enough value. Fans largely felt the same way, though you'll hear enthusiasm from GM Kwes...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand digs in on the NFL Draft and finds himself increasingly intrigued by the idea of the Vikings taking a wide receiver at No. 12 overall. While they still might end up taking a corner with that pick, there are good arguments to be made for choosing a game-changing offensive skill position player instead. 8:00: Star Tribune Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan joins the show...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand goes deep on the Wolves' Game 5 playoff loss, which again featured an alarming lack of execution on the part of Minnesota. After leading by double-digits in the fourth quarter, the Wolves allowed Memphis to rally thanks to a bevy of offensive rebounds and some poor shot selection of its own. But this one was more about what the Grizzlies did than what the Wolves did...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand dissects the back-and-forth series between the Timberwolves and Grizzlies heading into Game 5 on Tuesday in Memphis and finds some pretty simple keys. The Wolves need to keep the Grizzlies from getting too many offensive rebounds -- a two-fold mission that limits Memphis' second-chance points and helps the Wolves get transition baskets. And they need to stay out of...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at an overwhelmingly positive weekend in Minnesota sports. The Timberwolves proved that momentum can be a myth sometimes in sports by coming back after a devastating Game 3 loss to even their series against Memphis with a 119-118 victory at Target Center. Rand came to the realization that the games we watch are different...

Host Michael Rand goes all-in on the Timberwolves after their stunning Game 3 loss to Memphis at Target Center. Up by 26 points in the first half and 25 points late in the third quarter, the Wolves fell 104-95 after being outscored 37-12 in the fourth quarter. You'll hear from head coach Chris Finch, players Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell, plus the Star Tribune's Chris Hine and Chip Scogg...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand previews the critical Game 3 showdown between the Timberwolves and Grizzlies, noting that he considers the Wolves' emotional response to a Game 2 blowout loss to be of utmost importance. Can the Wolves navigate evolving matchups and ride the positive energy of what is sure to be an energized Target Center to take a series lead? 8:00: Former North Dakota State stando...

Introduction: The Wolves' 124-96 loss to Memphis on Tuesday was predictable and unwatchable on multiple levels. Memphis had far more urgency than Minnesota after losing Game 1 at home, and the Grizzlies played to their strengths with depth, defensive tenacity and offensive rebounding. The Wolves, meanwhile, tried to generate too much offense in isolation and suffered through a night with Karl-Anth...

Introduction: 21 different ESPN experts predicted how the Wolves vs. Grizzlies series would turn out, and all 21 picked Memphis. The Wolves are surely using perceptions like that as fuel as they try to take a 2-0 series lead Tuesday in Memphis, host Michael Rand said. 7:00: Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III joins the show to give his take on the Wolves, Wild and Twins. The Wild will be w...

Host Michael Rand is joined by Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse for a look back at the biggest stories of the weekend and a look ahead at what's to come. It was a double dose of good news when it comes to the playoffs: The Wolves controlled Game 1 against Memphis for almost all of the 48 minutes in earning a 130-117 road victory, while the Wild earned three points over the weekend to secure a...

Host Michael Rand was joined by Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine, who was in Memphis for the Wolves' convincing 130-117 Game 1 victory in the Western Conference playoffs opener. Rand and Hine talked about the big nights for Anthony Edwards (36 points), Karl-Anthony Towns (29) points and several supporting players. Plus does one win change the perception of the series, and what should we expect...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand identifies the single most important thing in the Wolves' upcoming playoff series against Memphis: Karl-Anthony Towns playing well and having control of his emotions. Towns talked about adversity on Thursday, but one gets the sense that he doesn't always understand that some of it is self-inflicted. Can he use Tuesday's win over the Clippers as motivation? 6:00: Dre...

Introduction: A generational argument played out again Wednesday when Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was pulled after 80 pitches and seven perfect innings at Target Field against the Twins. Should he have been allowed to try to finish the perfect game? It all depends on who you ask -- including Kershaw, who was fine with the move given the circumstances. Regardless, the Twins' offense is in rough...

Host Michael Rand ditches the usual format and goes all-in on the Timberwolves after Tuesday night's 109-104 victory over the Clippers in the NBA play-in game. You'll hear plenty of thoughts from Rand as well as from beat writer Chris Hine, head coach Chris Finch and guards D'Angelo Russell and Patrick Beverley. With the victory, the Wolves secured the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and will...