The Minnesota Wild hosted the Vegas Golden Knights in a must-win Game 6 to force Game 7 on Thursday, May 1. The Wild had their full roster back after Filip Gustavsson left Game 5 early due to illness, but he was back in the net for Game 6. The energy was a little off for both teams throughout the game, as there were sporadic periods of speed followed by sloppiness. The game was full of odd bounces and collisions, but the Golden Knights got the jump first.
The Wild responded, but once again the Golden Knights answered and had a lead into the final period. The Wild fought hard but ran out of time as the Golden Knights took the 3-2 win and the series to end the Wild’s season. We’ll look at what happened, starting with their missed chances.
Wild’s Missed Chances Got Them
This could easily be considered the sloppiest game of the entire series, but not just for the Wild. Both sides had many chances that were missed, and although there were some great plays from both teams, the puck was sloppily played around a lot. There were odd bounces, collisions, and overall chaos for a lot of the game. However, there were also goals scored.
The Wild had the upper hand in chances and shots throughout the game, but couldn’t get enough past Adin Hill to get the win. They should be upset with the outcome, but the effort was there, and sometimes it just doesn’t go their way. They did make mistakes that cost them the game, but they weren’t huge errors, just regular hockey plays that happen. The game could’ve gone either way but those missed chances will likely haunt them for the offseason.
“….It stings worse after this game because I think we all feel that we could’ve won the series, and it was coming in against a team that’s a really good team. Credit to them, they found a way to get it done, but I think that our guys were right there, and that’s where it stings the most. I think sometimes you get into a playoff series, and well, it was an area that was exposed or something you couldn’t figure out, or you were overmatched, and that wasn’t the case for us in this series. We just couldn’t find a way to win,” said head coach John Hynes following their Game 6 loss.
Wild’s Gustavsson Outstanding
Regardless of how the game ended, Filip Gustavsson had a strong night, especially after leaving the previous game early with an illness barely 48 hours earlier, where he also had an outstanding performance, especially after finding out he was ill. The goals that were scored against him in Game 6 were once again not his fault. Yes, he does shoulder some of the blame as every goaltender does, but he stepped up and gave them every chance to win.
“Yeah, I hope that’s something our fans can take away. I think you’re looking at 20-some guys that care and are committed to each other, especially down the stretch, and we hear the noise, and getting by the first round, we understand it. We really felt like we could’ve done it this year, and that’s the disappointing part, right, but we always want to be a team that has commitment and will and sacrifice and comes together as a family, and that’s what our fans deserve,” said Marcus Foligno about the team’s efforts.
Wild’s Hartman Stepped Up
Ryan Hartman has been a great player for the Wild, and although this season was a struggle at times, he dug deep and changed his attitude after getting his suspension. He went from a player who couldn’t control his emotions to being very controlled and composed, and he led the team at times. He scored the only two goals for the Wild in Game 6 to try to keep their season going, and he deserves the recognition for his efforts, even in a losing battle.
“I think Ryan (Hartman) grew a little bit I think, coming back from the suspension and I think just his mental focus really, from when he came back from that, coming down the stretch to end the regular season, into the playoffs just more focused, channeling his energy in the right way, playing the right way. He had a great playoffs for us, so it was really good to see. The thing I do know about him is he has that competitive gene when it gets hard and when the stakes get high. He does have that mindset and ability to be able to produce and play his best, and he did that for us through this series,” said Hynes on how Hartman stepped up.
Wild Have to be Proud
Of course, it’s hard to lose, it always is, and there are things to learn, but the Wild have to be proud of the overall effort they gave. The hardest part of the whole thing was they could’ve won the series because they were competitive, and they did put the Golden Knights on the rails at times.
“It’s tough, I mean, especially when you felt like you deserved better right? I think in those past ones we didn’t, and this one we did. We give credit to them, they’re a really good team, and it’s unfortunate we just couldn’t get our looks and get our bounces and move on like they did. Just proud of our group though, I mean if you think about what we’ve done and overcame this year and the steps we took and the guys that took steps, big steps. I know we always say the future’s bright, but I really do believe like we’re right there,” said Foligno about how proud he is of the group and what they overcame to get where they did.
Related: Golden Knights 3-2 Win Over Wild Clinches Series in Game 6
Going forward, the future looks very bright, thanks to the young players they have, their core that will likely stay mostly intact, and the players they can bring in with more money next season. It’s going to be fun to watch what this team does over the offseason, and hopefully, next season will be a deeper playoff run with an exciting team.
