The Minnesota Wild faced the New Jersey Devils for the second time in three days on Monday, Mar. 31, as they finished up their home-and-home series. The Wild were looking to bounce back from an embarrassing loss at home to the Devils on Saturday evening, Mar. 29. Filip Gustavsson was in net once again, and the lineup remained unchanged otherwise.
Things looked better for the Wild the second time around. They stuck with the Devils, and although they ended up behind again, they managed to climb back in, force overtime, and eventually lost in a shootout. Despite the loss, they gained an important point in the postseason, and we’ll look at what happened, starting with the Wild continuing to tip pucks.
Wild Continue To Tip Pucks
The Wild hadn’t been scoring as many goals as they would’ve liked throughout the month of March, but when they did find the back of the net, it was usually because of a tipped shot. They have a number of players who are more than capable of making the fancy play and throwing it in the back of the net, but that hasn’t been working recently, so they’ve had to turn to the more “dirty” type of goals.
While they have guys who can make fancy plays, they also have guys who can time tips just right, which isn’t the easiest. That’s how they got their first goal against the Devils to tie it the first time. Jake Middleton took a shot from the point, and Vinnie Hinostroza was ready to tip the puck into the net with perfect timing. If the Wild want to continue to score goals, they need to keep trying to tip pucks.
Their opponents almost always seem to know what to do when the Wild try to make a fancy move, but they have trouble stopping their tips. The Wild need to continue tipping pucks if they want to score goals, as they’ve proven it works, and they need to win.
Wild Kept Fighting
The Wild ended up down for the second time in a row to the Devils, but this time, instead of playing defeated with little to no energy, they fought back. They had energy from the start of the game that lasted until the final goal of the shootout. They repeatedly stood up and stopped the Devils’ players from entering the offensive zone, and although they lost, their attempts were strong.
Following their loss to the Devils the first time, the Wild’s head coach John Hynes talked about how the issues that led to the loss “would be addressed”. Those issues were addressed as the effort the Wild gave the second time around was a complete 180 from their first. They rushed to pucks, made clean passes, and fought hard for the win. Hopefully, the Wild can shake off this tough loss as they have two more difficult teams to face on this road trip, and they need points.
Wild’s Boldy & Gustavsson Strong Efforts
Again, although the Wild lost, they had a great effort from the majority of their players, but Matt Boldy truly stood out. He had his second goal in the last five games and his fourth goal in the last 10 games. He’s been playing with more confidence, and he’s been getting results. While he’s been scoring more goals lately, he also stood up and picked the puck off the opposition multiple times.
Related: Q & A With Minnesota Wild Defenseman Jake Middleton
While Boldy scored goals, at the other end, Gustavsson did everything he could to stop them. It’ll likely be on highlight reels for a while to come as one of the most bizarre plays in the NHL. Gustavsson had the puck bounce onto his back, and he leaned forward with his glove in the correct position to keep it out. It was very close, but he managed to make what should’ve been the save of the game if the Wild had won. He’s been their rock in the net, and they’ll need him to keep that up if they want to get back on the winning track.
Wild Stay on Road
After having nearly a month at home, the Wild will continue on the road to face both the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. First up, they’ll face the Rangers on Wednesday, Apr. 2, and then the Islanders on Friday, Apr. 4. Hopefully, the Wild can build off their solid effort, forget about the loss, and get a win over the Rangers to keep their postseason hopes alive.
