The Minnesota Wild hosted the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday evening, Feb. 6, for their second and final season meetup. The first meeting went to the Wild 4-0 on the road about a month ago, and they were looking to sweep the series and get back to some wins at home. Filip Gustavsson was back in the net after Marc-André Fleury played on Tuesday, Feb. 4, against the Boston Bruins.
They got things off to a good start with a goal in the first, and even after a penalty shot in the second period, they held onto the lead. While the shots looked one-sided in favor of the Hurricanes, the Wild came out with the win. It was a gritty, hard-fought win, but they got the two points, and in this article, we’ll see how they did it, starting with how others stepped up.
Wild Continue to Have Others Step Up
The Wild have been getting on and off production from their top line all season, but in the last few weeks, their third and fourth liners have found their way onto the scoresheet. This time, it was Yakov Trenin, who was benched at the beginning of their last road against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 26 because head coach John Hynes expected more from him. Since he came back against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 29, he’s had two assists and a goal for three points in five games compared to eight points in his first 44 games.
Marat Khusnutdov assisted Trenin with his goal, and he’s another player who has stepped up his game in these last few weeks. He’s been noticeably faster and working hard to maintain possession of the puck when he gets it rather than throwing it away. He hasn’t recorded many points, but he’s been more present, and hopefully, the points will follow.
“I think it was a very big goal, especially a few games before we couldn’t get a lead, and it reflected our game, and now it was important to get the first one,” said Trenin about how vital his goal was and the win itself.
Wild’s Hinostroza Makes Debut
Vincent Hinostroza made an impact in his Wild debut. From his first shift, he was noticeable. He plays a strong heads-up game and even got a backhand shot into the backside of the net on his first shift out. I overheard on the radio that Hinostroza was more noticeable than Mikko Rantanen for the Hurricanes, and they were right on that statement. Your eyes were drawn to him every time Hinostroza was on the ice.
He draws attention because of the way he plays with the puck and the way he plays without it. He’s all over the ice, constantly on the move, looking for the correct position to be in. He was rewarded for his efforts as he knocked in a puck early in the third period to record his first goal in a Wild jersey and give his team a two-goal lead when they needed that extra goal cushion.
He didn’t show any nerves, and while there are a few things he could get a little better at in his game, it was only his first game with the Wild, and he’ll iron out those details the more he adapts to his new team.
“I thought it was mine; yeah, no, I did, actually. He played awesome tonight, unreal. Obviously you can see the speed and skills there, so it doesn’t matter, new team, it’s nice to see the confidence he plays with and the heads up play making he has and the ability there too. He almost had a hell of a pass at the end, too, a little spin pass that got knocked down by a skate, but fun playing with him. I thought we did a really good job at home tonight and just a good response for our team in general,” said Marcus Foligno about possbily grabbing the puck for Hinostroza and what he thought of his play.
“Felt really good, obviously; a lot of emotions entering a new locker room sometimes can be hard to do, but this group couldn’t have made it easier for me today. Just happy to be a part of this and now got in late last night, so I’ll go back and get some sleep tonight and then back at it tomorrow. That’ll be nice to get a little bit of down time,” said Hinostroza about his goal.
Wild Survive Hurricanes
Either side didn’t control the game, and it was very back and forth but not with a lot of speed. It was a very gritty game, but the Wild were able to get a lead and keep it. While Gustavsson made some strong saves, he made quite a few with 37 saves, but none were too crazy until the last two minutes. He was all over in the final few minutes, and that effort helped seal the win.
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“It felt great, I thought I played very well, I played to my structure, and obviously some big shot blocks like you always need in those tight moments, and if it’s my last start before the 4 Nations, I feel fine,” said Gustavsson about his play with it possibly being his final start before the break.
Wild Host Islanders
The Wild will remain at home for one final game before the 4 Nations Faceoff break, and they’ll host the New York Islanders on Saturday, Feb. 8. While they survived their game against the Hurricanes, hopefully, this win is enough to give them a little more motivation and energy coming into their game against the Islanders so they can go into the break on a win.
