The Minnesota Wild took on the Dallas Stars on the road on Tuesday evening, Sept. 23, for their second game of the preseason. They had a come-from-behind win over the Winnipeg Jets in their first game on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 21, and looked to keep the winning going. Of course, there are no points involved in the preseason, but it always feels better to win than lose. The Wild faced a fairly heavy veteran presence in the Stars’ lineup, but they got the lead early and held it.
The Wild scored a goal early in the first period on a power play and protected the lead all the way until the third period despite some strong chances for the Stars. The Stars scored early in the third to tie the game, and then they tallied another a short time later to take their first lead. However, the Wild answered back and tied the game 2-2. Regulation ended tied, so overtime was required, and the Stars scored to take the win 3-2. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few takeaways from the game, starting with the goaltending.
Petersen Good Showing
If Cal Petersen wasn’t planned to be the Wild’s third goaltender after Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt, he made a case for it against the Stars. He made some strong stops against the likes of Matt Duchene, Jason Robertson, and Mikko Rantanen, amongst others. He had a very strong first two periods, and although the Stars got the better of him at the beginning of the third, he kept his head up.
He’s a fairly aggressive goaltender and came out to the top of his crease nearly every time the Stars came into the zone. Even in some breakaway attempts, he was ready to challenge and didn’t back down. The first goal scored against him was a wicked shot by Rantanen that he may have been screened on, and the second, he had the initial cover, but the puck was poked in under his pads before a whistle was blown.
Neither goal in regulation was a mistake made by Petersen, so overall, he still had a valiant effort, especially facing the big names the Stars had in the lineup. The third and final goal was one hardly any goaltender will stop, even in the regular season, a two-on-one that got past the defense. He did his best to stop it, but it was a great set-up by Miro Heiskanen and finished by Tyler Seguin. Of course, it’s still preseason, so they aren’t at regular-season form just yet, but impressive for Petersen regardless.
Jiříček Impressive
David Jiříček couldn’t quite solidify a spot on the Wild’s roster last season, but he did his best to earn a spot this season with his performance against the Stars. He was solid on the point, especially on the power play, where he truly stepped up. He didn’t shy away from taking shots, which resulted in the game’s first goal that held until the third period, and he nearly had a second in the same manner later in the game.
He worked hard to cover both sides of the ice, as offensively he had four shots and one of those resulted in a goal. Defensively, he had two blocked shots and a hit, so overall good numbers. He wasn’t credited with any takeaways, but he also didn’t have any turnovers recorded. He’s a strong player who has a good shot at making the lineup if he continues to play like this.
Hopefully, he can continue to be a solid presence not only during five-on-five but also on the power play. The Wild have their number one power play likely settled already, but he could make a solid addition on the second unit if he makes the final cut.
Wild Held Together Overall
The Wild had a tough task going up against a veteran roster for the Stars, but despite being pretty young, they held together. They got on the board early through hard work that earned them a power play, where they kept the work going and got on the scoreboard first. They managed to hold the lead through all of the strong chances for the Stars through the first two periods. In the third, the Stars scored back-to-back to take their first lead, but the Wild held again
They continued to play the same way they had all night, including their goaltender, Petersen, who didn’t get flustered by the goals. The same could be said for the rest of the lineup in front of him; they kept to their game plan and were rewarded with a goal to force overtime. This type of mentality is great to see in the preseason, as it will hopefully transfer over to the regular season and they’ll stay unfazed when they go through rough patches.
Related: Seguin Scores in OT as Stars Down Wild 3-2
It is important to remember this is only the preseason, and none of these games have points involved. Regardless of whether they won or lost, the team played very well and had a better showing than most anticipated after seeing the roster the Stars had. Hopefully, the Wild will be able to get back on the winning track Thursday, Sept.25, in their preseason home opener when they face the Stars once again.
