The Minnesota Wild had one quick game at home but returned to the road to face the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday, Feb. 27. Their injured list remained the same, and the only major change for them was Marc-André Fleury in net instead of Filip Gustavsson. They started off pretty flat as Utah went up 2-0, and the Wild didn’t gain any traction until the end of the second period.
The Wild scored in the final minutes of the second but couldn’t continue the momentum, and Utah pulled back ahead to go into the third. The final period was all about Utah as they added three more goals unanswered and took the win 6-1. In this article, we’ll look at what went wrong for the Wild and the one lone bright spot, starting with their lack of energy.
Wild’s Lack of Energy & Penalty Kill
The Wild looked lost when the first period started. They couldn’t get anything going, struggled to make passes, and had hardly any energy. This theme continued throughout the entire game despite a stellar goal by Frédérick Gaudreau in the second that should’ve given them momentum to fight back. They couldn’t find a way to dig deep enough, and instead, things kept mounting up against them, including their penalty kill.
Utah’s first two goals of the game were on the power play, giving them the upper hand. The Wild went 0 percent on the penalty kill, as those two goals were scored on the only penalties the Wild took. However, one of those was a four-minute double minor for a high stick, which put the team in a tough spot.
The Wild need to find a way to fix their penalty kill quickly and find the spark that’s been missing from their game since before the break. They showed a bit of it in their come-from-behind win against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, Feb. 22, but it disappeared almost as fast as it came. They need to start playing more desperate to win games to make the postseason before they run out of time.
Wild Needed Their Top Line
The Wild’s top line has undergone several changes this season due to injuries, but it’s had stretches of greatness no matter who was on it. Even in their recent loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, Feb. 25, their top line contributed. Marco Rossi has had a strong season, and although he’s been up and down in terms of points, he’s also valuable away from the puck.
Matt Boldy looked strong in his first couple of games back from the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he looked phenomenal, but again, he struggled against Utah, although he set up the game’s first goal for the Wild. He’s gotten into the habit of trying to pass off the puck too quickly instead of being selfish and taking the shot himself. The Wild need him to gain his confidence back and force his way in instead of staying on the outside.
That leaves the final member of the top line in Mats Zuccarello. He always plays differently when Kirill Kaprizov is out of the lineup, and that’s been true lately. He’s been held pointless in the past seven games and was held off the scoreboard again against Utah, so it moved to eight games. The Wild need him to find his scoring touch again or at least help his teammates produce otherwise, these games will get more challenging to win.
Wild’s Gaudreau Brings Hope
Typically, in a game like this, the team is looking for their top line to step up and get things going. This time, however, Gaudreau on the second line got things done after Boldy was added to his line to try and bolster things. It worked for that one goal which was a great set-up and finish, but they couldn’t maintain it.
Related: Wild Need Boldy & Faber to Bring 4 Nations Face-Off Performance Back Home
It was a pretty goal that should’ve motivated their team, especially since Gaudreau has been quietly contributing, and it’s always exciting when he gets points on the board. However, they couldn’t find that motivation, and it cost them as Utah continued to add goals, and the Wild couldn’t climb back in. They need other players like Gaudreau, deeper in their lineup, to start producing when things get tough. If they can get more production, they have a chance to get this back on the winning path.
Wild Stay on Road
The Wild won’t have time to dwell on this loss as they’ll head straight to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, Feb. 28 in the second game of their back-to-back. The Wild have to find their game if they hope to beat the Avalanche; if they play like they did against Utah, they won’t win. Hopefully, they can find that energy they had in their come-from-behind win over the Red Wings, harness it, and take down the Avalanche to stop this losing streak.
