3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 6-3 Win Over the Maple Leafs

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.