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Wild coach Todd Richards sensed it coming.
After four days off following victories over the Rangers and Penguins, Richards worried about his team "getting too high on yourselves."
"We still have to remember where we're at," Richards said Thursday morning. "All you have to do is look at the standings."
The Wild is the worst team in the Western Conference, and it reverted back to that during a 5-2 loss to the wounded, yet gutty Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
"I thought maybe [we'd have] a little bit of a slow start, maybe a little bit of rust, but that pretty much lasted the whole first period," Richards said.
Despite Kyle Brodziak twice pulling the Wild within one goal, the Wild couldn't make up for a flat first period, shoddy second period and its customary momentum-killing power play.
From goaltender Niklas Backstrom on out, the Wild was a sloppy bunch during a seventh loss in eight games to the rival Canucks. The last two goals were on the soft side, and Backstrom was pulled after 40 minutes.
"We weren't managing the puck very well. We turned a lot of pucks over early," said defenseman Greg Zanon. "I don't know what it is. Obviously there's no answers [for the slow starts]. You'd like to think everybody was ready."