4 Takeaways From the Wild’s Overtime Loss to the Golden Knights in Game 4

The Minnesota Wild hosted the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 4 on Saturday afternoon, April 26. Just when the Wild appeared to be getting away from the injury bug, before Game 4, it was announced Marcus Johansson was out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury he received in Game 3. Vinnie Hinostroza made his Wild postseason debut as he was brought in to take the open roster spot left by Johansson. 

Filip Gustavsson was in the net once again as he’s been strong all postseason. The game started with the Golden Knights getting the first goal, but the Wild answered back, and it was another fight to the finish. It took overtime to determine the winner, and it was the Golden Knights who came out on top. The Wild had a lot of good and some bad; we’ll look at how it went down, starting with the good.

Wild’s Depth Steps Up

The Wild are known for their top line, no matter who’s on it with Kirill Kaprizov, but their other lines proved they are just as dangerous in Game 4. The fourth line of Marco Rossi, Yakov Trenin, and Justin Brazeau showed how powerful a well-timed hit can be as Trenin knocked Nicolas Hague off the puck in the corner and was able to send it to the front of the net for a waiting Brazeau and Rossi, who did the rest. That line was throwing their bodies around all game, but they also had some handy puck work that served their team well. 

Wild fans love watching Marcus Foligno’s big hits, and he didn’t back off on those in this game, but he also stepped up with the second goal of the game and his third of the postseason. Like his teammate Joel Eriksson Ek, Foligno knows how significant net front presence is, and that’s how he scored, by waiting in front of the net and knocking it in. Those types of goals aren’t the prettiest or highlight reels, but they are just as important as any other goal, and they gave the Wild the lead. 

Finally, Jared Spurgeon stepped up and provided the wrap-around tying goal that forced overtime. He saw an opportunity to go deep in the zone, and he was rewarded. The Wild may have fallen in overtime, but they have to be happy with the effort of their scorers, as well as Ryan Hartman, who was all over the ice, and although he didn’t score, he made an impact. 

“Yeah, Hartzy’s been good, really good, I think just the focus he’s playing with, he’s an extreme competitor, he’s got the talent. I like the combination of his competitiveness, he’s a willing skater and then when he does those two things and he’s focused in, he can have an impact from an offensive perspective so it’s nice to see him playing his best at the best time of the year,” said head coach John Hynes about Hartman’s efforts.

Wild Utilizing Sticks

It’s an underrated skill that often gets overlooked until it happens a lot, but the Wild hugely utilized their stickwork all afternoon. They were getting sticks in passing lanes all game and were knocking the puck off the Golden Knights repeatedly. The top line of Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy were especially good at this as they tormented the Golden Knights by constantly knocking the puck away before they could accurately set up. 

The Wild have to continue to utilize their sticks as this series continues. They frustrated the Golden Knights throughout the game, and they gave themselves the chances they needed to score. Although they lost, they have to keep that in their game plan. 

“I think we played very well today, we didn’t win the game at the end, but the effort was there, we played very well, and we had our chances to score,” said Gustavsson about the overall effort of the game. 

Wild’s Penalty Kill Makes a Difference

Despite the one shorthanded goal the Wild gave up, their penalty kill stepped up perfectly after that mistake. They worked hard to clog up the blue line, and once again, they did a great job with their sticks. Boldy, Foligno, and Frédérick Gaudreau all did a great job on the kill, and they have to focus on that effort and keep it going moving forward. They were aggressive but played defensively when necessary. They also moved the puck quickly and efficiently out of the zone, something they have to do every time. 

“I mean, they’re just calling blatant ones just to be safe. There’s not much you can do on a high-sticking call, right? So, I thought for the most part, they let us play again. If we get into a ref battle, we’ve got bigger things over there to worry about with their top players, so just keep those refs on our side,” said Foligno about keeping composure despite some tough calls against and missed. 

Wild Miss Great Chances

Overall, the Wild had probably the best effort of the series so far, but missed on several chances to put the game away. While they had a number of calls go against them, they weren’t able to capitalize on either of the two power plays they got in the game. If they had converted on the first, it could’ve given them a strong two-goal lead, and the second power play would’ve given them the win in overtime. 

“Yeah, tight game, obviously it goes into overtime, so we had our chances. They put the puck in before we did, so it’s not like we didn’t have our fair share of chances…,” said Ryan Hartman about how it was a hard-fought game with chances for both sides. 

Wild Head Back to Vegas

The Wild will now head back to Vegas for Game 5 on Tuesday, April 29, looking to get another win on the road like they did in Game 2. It’s a 2-2 series, and the Wild have been very good on the road, so hopefully they can use that to their advantage and get a win to come back home with.