The Wild are 31st in goals-against per game this season (3.95), ahead of only the San Jose Sharks (4.14), and last in penalty-killing percentage (66.7). They're seventh in the Central Division, two points ahead of the last-place Chicago Blackhawks.
"Seven in a row is unacceptable, especially with this group of guys," Wild forward Pat Maroon said after the loss Sunday. "We should be [angered] right now and we should be [angered] when we play the next game.
"We need to understand what is at stake here. We're losing points by the sack."
Hynes, 48, was fired by the Nashville Predators on May 30 and replaced by Andrew Brunette the next day.
The Predators failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season (42-32-8) for the first time since 2013-14, when they finished three points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card from the Western Conference. They had qualified for eight consecutive seasons and advanced to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"As Billy said, we do have a history together," Hynes said. "And I think that's important. ... I think when you look at the roster, you look at the quality of players. Not only their talent on the ice, but I think the character of the players. There's some great young players that have huge upsides that are coming. I think there's a great group of veterans. The team leadership is excellent. And I know firsthand, having the opportunity to coach against this team for a number of years, just the identity that they can play with the talent on the team, the character of the team. It's really exciting."
Hynes guided Nashville to the playoffs during his first three seasons and was 134-95-18 after replacing Peter Laviolette on Jan. 7, 2020. He was fired as New Jersey Devils coach Dec. 3, 2019, one season after taking them to the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12.
He is 284-254-63 in 601 regular-season games and 4-15 in 19 playoff games.
"It's little tweaks here and there. But I think I know this team really well," Guerin said. "I know these players really well. Their buy-in level is really high too. I think they'll listen to John right away. I think the buy-in will be right away. It just feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and then it's like I said it's tough because it comes with a tough message, a tough decision. It's a new chapter.
Evason, 59, was 147-77-26 in five seasons since replacing Bruce Boudreau on Feb. 14, 2020. He was 8-15 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, qualifying each of his four previous seasons, but Minnesota never advanced past the first round. On Nov. 12, the Wild lost 8-3 at home to the Dallas Stars, giving up five power-play goals and two short-handed.
Evason is the second coach fired this season. The Edmonton Oilers replaced Jay Woodcroft with Kris Knoblauch on Nov. 12.
NHL.com independent correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this report
