The Minnesota Wild finished their three-game homestand on Thursday night, Jan. 15, when they hosted the Winnipeg Jets. They were dealt another blow to their lineup as Jonas Brodin was placed on injured reserve and listed as week-to-week, prior to their game against the Jets, and Carson Lambos was called up. However, it was David Špaček who made his NHL debut in the open roster spot.
Zach Bogosian and Joel Eriksson Ek remained out, and after the game, it was unclear if they’ll both go on the road trip this coming weekend. Jesper Wallstedt was back in the net after he was in the net for their loss against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, Jan. 12.
The game started out in favor of the Jets, and the Wild had a hill to climb after the first. That hill became nearly impossible in the second as the Jets jumped to a 6-1 lead. The Wild couldn’t find a way back in and fell 6-2. In this article, we’ll look at a few things that hindered the Wild, starting with their trailing early.
Wild Start Behind
For the second straight game, the Wild fell behind early and allowed their opponent to jump to a fairly large lead. What made this team so strong in the months of November and December was their energy, starting with the first puck drop to the last. They had end-to-end energy, and they got on the scoreboard first rather than having to fight from behind. Against the Jets, there was none of that energy.
They lacked speed, but mainly the energy they had earlier in the season, which made their games so fun to watch. Somehow, they have to find a way to get that spark back and have it every night. It showed a little bit after their first goal, they looked to have a new life, only for it to fade away almost as quickly as it came.
“You know what? I don’t think it was bad. We’re a very mature team, we’re a veteran team, we knew we were in it, and I think that even the second period, we knew we were in it. Did they get a shot before their 5-on-3? Like that was, we had the game, they scored nice goals, two of those ones were nice goals, and if you give a guy a couple whacks in front of the net, they’re bound to put it in, but no, our mindset, I think, was actually really good. We didn’t pout, we didn’t do anything that we weren’t supposed to do, we tried sticking to the game plan, but again they capitalized, we didn’t,” said Jake Middleton about being down three goals early.
Wild’s Special Teams
The Wild’s main struggle against the Jets was their penalty kill and their undisciplined penalties. Whether they agree with a call or not, they can’t allow it to seep into their game, and that’s what it appeared to be against the Jets. They took back-to-back penalties in the opening period that gave the Jets a 5-on-3, and that gave them the momentum to get the first goal of the game.
The Wild have worked hard to be one of the least penalized teams in the league, and it’s served them well. However, taking four penalties against the Jets got them in a hole they couldn’t get out of, as the Jets scored on two of them. The penalty kill struggled, but so did their power play, as they had three chances and couldn’t score on any of them. A power play goal, especially early, could’ve made all the difference, but they couldn’t get it done.
“Yeah, again, I wouldn’t put, I wouldn’t overemphasize it. It was a game where it happened, and like you said, we’ve been extremely disciplined the whole year, and we’ll get back to that. I’m not worried…,” said Nico Sturm about the Wild being the least penalized team and then having a higher number of penalties against the Jets.
Wild’s Goaltending
At the beginning of the season, the Wild’s goaltending tandem looked to be in a bit of trouble, but then they figured it out and couldn’t be scored on. Both Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt were solid throughout the month of November and a lot of December. However, in the last few weeks, it’s been a little shaky. Nothing overly concerning, but they didn’t look quite as solid as the previous months.
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That showed in the past two games with Wallstedt against the Devils earlier in the week and again against the Jets. They’ve both struggled to stop the shots that they should’ve had. For the first time all season, the Wild had to pull their goaltender before the start of the third. Wallstedt came out against the Jets, and Gustavsson came in. It’s typical for teams to have struggles, but the Wild and their goaltending need to find a way out sooner rather than later.
“Yeah, I mean some of them were post and in, Wally’s (Wallstedt) been really solid for us, so I’m not gonna get too much into him or any individuals tonight. I think it’s important that you don’t get too low and we’re a good hockey team, we’ve played good games, we’ve hit a little bit of some adversity here but that’s what happens. You’re going to be up, you’re going to be down, but the important thing is to stay level-headed and make sure that we’re getting the right things out of these, and then we have to move forward, and now we gotta look forward to a good road trip,” said head coach John Hynes about Wallstedt’s play.
With this loss, the Wild will head on the road for the next three games. They’ll start on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they face the Buffalo Sabres. They’ll have to be ready for a Sabres team that has found a way to win. Hopefully, the Wild can start this road trip off on the right foot and pull themselves out of this slump with a big win.
