The Minnesota Wild wrapped up their most recent home back-to-back against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night, Nov. 29. They were coming off an emotional shootout win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday afternoon, Nov. 28. While it looked like their injury list would never stop, they finally started getting some players back.
They did add Marcus Foligno to injured reserve after he was injured in their game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, Nov. 26. However, they did get back Ryan Hartman prior to their game against the Avalanche, and then Vladimir Tarasenko for their game against the Sabres. Filip Gustavsson was back in the net, and the game started in favor of the Wild.
The Sabres fought back twice, and it was tied going into the final minutes of the third period. No one found the back of the net before time ran out, and it went into overtime. Once again, no one scored in overtime, so the game went to a shootout, where the Sabres took the win. In this article, we’ll look at what went well for the Wild and what they need to fix, starting with the top line.
Wild’s Top Line Has Ups & Downs
The Wild’s top line has bounced around a bit this season due to injuries, and currently it is Kirill Kaprizov, Danila Yurov, and Mats Zuccarello. Yurov is in the center position because Rossi is still out with an injury, and Yurov has fit in well. The line looked strong to start the night as Kaprizov scored to give the team the lead, with both Zuccarello and Yurov setting up the goal. That assist was also Zuccarello’s 700th point of his career.
As the night went on, things started to turn south for the Wild, and although that line kept buzzing, they also made some crucial turnovers that need to be fixed. It’s great that they want to do a lot of fancy passing, but they have to make sure their teammate is there to receive the pass and not throw it directly to the other team, which happened several times against the Sabres. Luckily for the Wild, they recovered either with a big save from Filip Gustavsson or they caught up in time.
“There was a lot of depleted energy last night just with two high octane teams but I don’t think today that was really a factor, maybe a back-to-back more than anything, a lot of hockey so far this year but no I don’t think it’s tough to get up for a game like tonight for sure,” said Jake Middleton when asked about the energy level between their two back-to-back games, and he continued on the factors, “I mean we didn’t defend as well as we have this month but still like you said they were weird goals but it happens and they won the skills comp at the end.”
Wild’s Gustavsson & Boldy Bright Spots
While the top line was buzzing, Filip Gustavsson did his part in the net as much as he could despite having some odd goals against him. The first goal for the Sabres bounced in off a player in front that Gustavsson had no chance of seeing, and the second was one he never expected. The puck bounced off the glass behind the net, and Mats Zuccarello tried to catch it, but unfortunately, in the process, sent it into the net, something Gustavsson couldn’t do anything about.
Outside of those goals, he played well and made the big stops when they needed them all the way up into the shootout. Even in overtime when his teammates made some nasty turnovers that led to at least one breakaway, he was ready and made the stop. Gustavsson did his best all night, but the Sabres got the best of him in the shootout.
“Yeah, maybe weird goals, that’s what it is sometimes. Overall, I thought I played fine throughout the whole game, except the shootout, I lost my patience a little bit. I didn’t hold my edges long enough there and they saw that and…overall it was a good game,” said Gustavsson about how he felt about the game and continued about the shootout, “ Yeah no it was a long time since I had a real shootout, sometime last year I think and I should practice more on it…and get the patience in there more.”
While Gustavsson was shining in the net, Matt Boldy was continuing to make waves up front. When the Sabres tied the game the first time it was Boldy who stepped up with a great play to retake the lead. His overall effort from winning the puck battle to taking the puck to the net earned him that goal and really showed how much of a standout player he is. Hopefully the Wild can keep relying on him to make those plays but also back him up when needed.
Wild Need to Find Consistency
As much as everyone doesn’t want to admit it, the Wild’s win streak wasn’t going to last forever. While it’s frustrating to lose after having a lead, and it’s even more frustrating to hear that at least they got a point, it is true that at least they came out with a point. If they had to lose this game, losing in regulation would’ve meant no points, and as everyone knows in this league, every point counts.
Clearly, the Wild have things to fix, with the top item being finding a way to play a consistent game. They found a way to get on the board in the first and answered back when the Sabres scored, but they have to find a way to make that consistent. They can’t let their foot off the gas until the game is over; however, the Sabres did step up and force the Wild to make mistakes, so credit to them as well.
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“Yeah, I think so, we still got some players that have not gone through a lot of this in the league and as a team too. I suppose the good part is that even today, we continue to put another point in the bank, which is obviously great, but you don’t want to have too many of those. I think at the end of last year you saw here that every point matters, so it’s a good learning lesson, I think,” said Nico Sturm when asked about how this is a lesson every team has to learn with the high highs and low lows.
It’s a hard loss to take, but every season has those games, and the crucial part of this will be how the Wild responds. They have to be able to learn from their mistakes, but also let this loss go and move on, so they can be ready to get back in the win column when they head on the road.
