3 Takeaways From the Wild’s Overtime Loss to the Predators

The Minnesota Wild hosted the Nashville Predators in their final game before the NHL’s holiday break on Tuesday, Dec. 23. They had their whole lineup in place as Zach Bogosian returned from injury and looked to get back on the winning track after a rough loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, Dec. 21. 

The Wild went back to Filip Gustavsson in the net, and the game started in their favor. The Predators fought back to tie it and stole the lead only for the Wild to answer back, and they went into the final period tied. They needed overtime to figure out a winner, and unfortunately for the Wild, it went in favor of the Predators. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways from the game, starting with how they’re not going to win every game. 

Wild Can’t Win Them All 

While it was disappointing to watch the Wild fall for the second consecutive game, their winning streak was only going to last for so long. Losing to the Avalanche wasn’t a complete surprise, as they’re the number one team in the league and have been the whole season. Losing to the Predators may be a bit harder to accept, as they’ve been a team that has struggled worse than the Wild this season, but they’re finding their way. 

The Wild have played a lot of hockey over the past couple of months, as the whole league has with the condensed schedule, and it’s clear these players are ready for a few days off. The Wild did finally get their full roster back together after missing a good chunk of it due to injuries, but it wasn’t quite enough to get past the Predators. 

Although they did lose, at least they lost in overtime, and while some may be tired of hearing that over the seasons, they did get a point, and in the end, that is what matters. Of course, two points are preferred, but one is better than none, and that counts when it comes to the postseason. 

Wild’s Special Teams Struggles

Ultimately, what led to the Wild losing this game was their inability to stay out of the penalty box and their lack of scoring when they had several power plays. They only took four penalties, but it seemed like quite a few more, especially when they started to get frustrated. Luckily, they found a way to stay disciplined and didn’t let it escalate.