The Minnesota Wild were in the middle of their road trip when they faced the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, Jan. 19, on the first half of a back-to-back. They were still without five key players due to injury: Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Marcus Johansson, Zach Bogosian, and Jonas Brodin. They were coming off a big win over the Buffalo Sabres and looked to do the same against the Maple Leafs.
Filip Gustavsson was in the net for his second consecutive start, and the game started in favor of the Wild. They built a strong lead through the game, and despite the Maple Leafs’ efforts to climb back into the game, the Wild held onto their lead and took the 6-3 win. In this article, we’ll look at how they did it, starting with the scorers.
Foligno & Tarasenko Shine Brightly
While there was production up and down the lineup, two players took the main spots on the scoresheet, and those players were Marcus Foligno and Vladimir Tarasenko. Both of these players have recently found their scoring strides, and it’s paid off big time for the Wild. Foligno and Tarasenko contributed goals in their team’s win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, Jan. 17, and they stepped up once again against the Maple Leafs.
Tarasenko got the Wild on the board first with a goal on the power play, and then he contributed another goal in the second period, which gave them a 4-1 lead. Foligno scored the first and third goals of the second period; his second goal was also on the power play. Then, in the final few minutes, the Maple Leafs pulled their goaltender, and Tarasenko had a chance to go for the hat trick but elected to give the puck to Foligno and let him have the honors.
It was safe to say the Wild were stuck in a slump on their recent homestand, and it looked to get even worse as they went on a road trip without key players. If they wanted to win, they needed others to step up and fill the void. Tarasenko and Foligno did that against the Sabres, and they continued it against the Maple Leafs. The Wild will need them to continue if they want to finish the road trip with one more win.
Wild’s Gustavsson Steps Up
He wasn’t tested too much in the first period or the second for that matter, but in the third, when the Maple Leafs made their serious attempt at a comeback, Filip Gustavsson stood tall for the Wild. He did allow three goals, but the first one was a perfect set-up on the power play that any goaltender would’ve struggled to stop.
The second goal is likely one he’d like back because there was a big rebound off his pad that got caught up in the chaos in front of the net and ended up behind him in the net. Even though that gave the Maple Leafs some momentum, Gustavsson was ready and made the big stops. The third and final goal the Maple Leafs scored was courtesy of Auston Matthews, one of the best in the NHL, on a breakaway that once again, almost no goalie would’ve been able to stop.
If it hadn’t been for Gustavsson in the net when the team let the Maple Leafs charge partway back into the game, the Wild could’ve been in a load of trouble. He stepped up and made the necessary saves to keep their lead and helped them secure the win.
Wild’s All-Around Effort
The Wild’s recent homestand wasn’t much fun for anyone involved, as they lacked energy, scoring, and at times the effort needed to get it done. However, this recent road trip has discovered a new life despite being without some of their biggest contributors. Everyone has found a way to step up and produce, including Foligno tallying his first NHL hat trick in his career.
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Not only did they have different scorers in the lineup, but they also had the usual helpers behind the scenes step up in a bigger way. Brock Faber, Quinn Hughes, and Kirill Kaprizov had two assists each, and Mats Zuccarello recorded a lone assist as well. While there were certain players who stood out in this game, the win came because of an overall effort.
The Wild have one more game to go on this road trip, and it’ll be on Tuesday, Jan. 20, as the second half of a back-to-back. They’ll face the Montréal Canadiens, who’ve been having a strong season and won’t be easy to get past. Hopefully, the Wild can keep the production going and get one more win to come home with a perfect 3-0 road trip.
