The Minnesota Wild finished their four-game road trip on Monday night, Dec. 8, against the Seattle Kraken. Their roster was the same as their previous game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, Dec. 6, but Filip Gustavsson was back in the net. However, they may have added to their injured list as Mats Zuccarello took a heavy hit in the first period and did not return to the game.
The Wild looked to finish off the road trip the same way they started, with a strong win after two losses in the middle. It wasn’t easy to get past the Kraken, even though the Wild got the first lead of the game. The Kraken forced their way back, but the Wild came out with the lead and the win. In this article, we’ll look at how the Wild did it, starting with the second line, continuing success.
Wild’s Second Line Continues Success
The Wild’s second line once again contributed to the scoring and got them on the board first in their game against the Kraken. Normally, it’s been Matt Boldy tallying the goals, but this time he was the set-up man as he sent a great pass to Joel Eriksson Ek, who knocked it in to give his team the lead at the time.
This line of Boldy, Eriksson Ek, and Marcus Johansson has continued to build chemistry, and they’ve had quite a few chances outside of the goals they’ve scored. In the third period, they added another goal courtesy of that line and Johansson. Eriksson Ek got the shot, and Johansson tipped it to put his team up once again.
The Wild did add two empty-net goals to seal the deal, but the game-winner went to Johansson, who has stepped up alongside the second line and rejuvenated his career. He’s helped the Wild win games, and this was one they needed to get things back on track and not let too many points slip away.
Wild Playing Shorthanded
The Wild’s penalty kill did allow a goal against the Kraken after being so solid, but they also played shorthanded outside of the penalties called against them. They started the game with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, not unusual for teams to do, but then they lost Zuccarello, and that put them to 10 forwards.
They were already doubleshifting Kaprizov and Zuccarello with 11 forwards, but with Zuccarello out, it made it even harder. At one point, they played with nine forwards as Nico Sturm accidentally blocked a shot with his ankle and went down the tunnel; thankfully for the Wild, he did return in the final minutes. Plus, they went down to six defensemen as Jake Middleton left the game in the third period as well with no update to his condition after the game.
Despite playing without Zuccarello and then Middleton, Sturm, and even Boldy in the final minute, they came out with the win. The players still on the bench were able to dig deep and pick up the play where those players would’ve been and got the win.
Wild’s Special Teams Struggles
Against the Kraken, the Wild struggled on both the penalty kill and the power play. Their penalty kill had been thriving, and it was bound to happen that they’d have an off night, just like it was bound to happen that they were going to lose a game or two after going on a tear through the month of November.
Their power play had a similar story; it went on a streak through the first month of the season, even though overall the team was struggling. Now the power play has been having trouble producing, and they need to get it back on track. They were able to get the win over the Kraken, but if they’d been able to contribute on the power play, it may have been a bit easier to get the win.
Even if the Wild can only have one or the other succeed, the power play or the penalty kill, they need to have at least one of them producing. If their penalty kill starts to have trouble, they need to get their power play on track. Hopefully, they can get both, but at least one needs to be better.
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The Wild get to come home on a high note after getting the win over the Kraken, and they’re going to need it as their schedule doesn’t get any easier. They host the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, Dec. 11, and everyone knows how tough it has been for the Wild to beat the Stars. Hopefully, they can use this win to catapult them into another winning streak.
