The Minnesota Wild faced the Boston Bruins for the first time this season on the road on Tuesday, Feb 4. The Wild were looking to avenge a rough 6-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Feb. 1. Against the Bruins, they had a boost to their lineup as both Marcus Johansson and Jonas Brodin made their awaited return to the lineup after being out with injuries.
The Wild continued their goaltender rotation as Marc-André Fleury took over the net as Filip Gustavsson had it against the Senators. Despite all of this, the Wild had an intense first period, and after that, they couldn’t get themselves back in it, and the Bruins took the 3-0 win. In this article, we’ll look at how the Wild got shut out for the second straight game, starting with their power play struggles.
Wild’s Power Play Quiet
The Wild’s penalty kill was perfect for the third time out of the last four games played, and while it struggled against the Senators, it bounced back against the Bruins. Their penalty kill gave them a chance to stay in the game and kept the score close, as they’ve struggled when scored on shorthanded. However, their power play did not step up the way it could have and should have.
The Wild are still without Kirill Kaprizov, but they have Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, Mats Zuccarello, and others who can play on the power play but weren’t successful. They had four opportunities and couldn’t convert on any; that could’ve changed the game if they had.
They need to figure out how to get some offense on their power plays, as it could’ve made a difference in several of their games this season. They did have some shots, but no one in front of the net ready for rebounds. Again, this could’ve been a different game if they could’ve scored on their power plays.
Wild Need to Be Smarter
While their penalty kill was outstanding, it shouldn’t have had to be tested so often. They gave the Bruins three power-play chances, and although that’s not a lot, it’s more penalties than they typically take. The Wild had managed to be one of the least penalized teams throughout the season until they slowly started climbing the ranks recently. Against the Bruins, they were called for tripping, interference, and delay of game. The interference call against Brodin was the worst of the three as it was the most obvious, away from the puck, and shouldn’t have happened plus Brodin is one of their best penalty killers.
They’ve started to lack a certain level of discipline, which they started the season with, and it showed against the Senators when Ryan Hartman was kicked out of the game for roughing. It was a play that didn’t need to happen, and now he’s been suspended for 10 games because of this decision. The Wild have to be smarter in their all-around game, make better decisions, and stop taking unnecessary penalties, as their penalty kill will not always be perfect to save them.
Wild’s Fleury Steps Up
Fleury has been playing strongly all season, but in the last week or so, he’s still proven himself to have that top-level play. He continued to play that way against the Bruins, and although he did allow two goals against them, as the third was an empty netter, Fleury could take the slight blame for only one of them.
The first goal was deflected, and there was no way Fleury could stop it, as there was no accurate way to predict how a deflection would go. The second goal went off of Fleury’s glove, and he’ll likely say he should’ve had it, but he did what he could, and it was a strong shot that barely made it past Fleury.
Related: Wild’s Roster Depth Stepping Up Both Defensively & Offensively
He’s the reason the Wild stayed in the game until the very end, and if it hadn’t been for him, the game would’ve been 4-0 or 5-0. He made some big saves and gave his team every chance to stay in the game and climb back in to try to win.
Wild Head Home
After being on the road for the past five games, the Wild will return home for two games before the 4 Nations Faceoff break. They’ll play host to the Carolina Hurricanes first on Thursday evening, Feb. 6 and then their final game will be Saturday, Feb. 8 as they host the New York Islanders. Hopefully, the Wild can find a way to get back on the winning track at home, where they’ve struggled this season, and go into this break with some wins.
