Minnesota Wild Gameday Playoff Preview Game 4. vs the Avalanche

The Minnesota Wild came into Game 3 down 2-0 in their Round 2 series against the Colorado Avalanche. They needed a complete game effort from start to finish to get themselves back into the series, and they did just that. Everyone played with the same speed and aggressiveness, and they came out on top. 

They still have a long way to go if they want to come out on top in this series, but right now it’s important to take it one game at a time, or in this case, one win at a time. They now know what it takes to win against the Avalanche, and they’ll need to find a way to continue to replicate it. In this article, we’ll preview the Wild’s side in Game 4, starting with the goaltending. 

Wild’s Wallstedt Back 

The Wild obviously made headlines when they put Filip Gustavsson in for Game 2 instead of Jesper Wallstedt, who’d played every postseason game for them thus far and done quite well this postseason. Game 1 was clearly a struggle, but it was for both goaltenders as Wallstedt let in eight goals and Scott Wedgewood allowed six. In Game 2 Gustavsson had an okay performance but the Wild elected to put Wallstedt back in for Game 3 and he was more than ready to go. 

He stepped up big and helped his team secure the win while they did their part and scored goals. Having Wallstedt sit out Game 2 worked as he came out more than ready to go, and he earned the start in Game 4 as well. He acknowledged he didn’t have the greatest performance in Game 1, and he came to prove himself in Game 3 and will likely do the same the rest of the series. 

“Well, that’s my job. That’s what I’m supposed to do. My job description is pretty easy: save the puck. That’s what I’m trying to do. And obviously, when you give up eight, that’s not doing your job. Well, like I said, there’s goals I weren’t happy with. There was stuff I thought I did good. And then you kind of try to separate what was good with what you had to improve on and what was bad, what stuff you have to adjust playing this opponent. And I think I did that well. And was more prepared for today’s game than I was for Game 1,” said Wallstedt to the media in his postgame interview following Game 3 about his performance compared to Game 1. 

Wild Stay Physical 

Originally, the Wild had less of a physical edge, and it did affect their game in a negative way. When they turned up the hits, their game came back with it. They had more energy, they had more assertiveness, and they overall played their game compared to trying to chase the Avalanche around. At first, I believed adding physicality would be detrimental to the Wild because the Avalanche would just skate around them. 

Although they did do that a bit, the Wild were able to play more confident when they were using their bodies. Hitting has become an integral part of their game; it’s not the forefront, but a strong hit here and there adds to their game, and the team plays better. Marcus Foligno, Nick Foligno, Yakov Trenin, Michael McCarron, and Nico Sturm have made an impact on this team and have played excellently in the postseason thus far because the style they play fits well with this team. They’ll have to keep playing that way in Game 4 if they want the momentum to stay in their direction. 

“They got unreal stars. I just thought we made it easy on them in the first 1 and 2 games. You gotta play harder. It’s the little things in the zone, neutral zone, to clog it up against them, to slow down; they’re a really fast-paced team. So, obviously, it helps when you got fans behind you. It gets a little intimidating in here, so it’s fun to get physical early. Just pick up our bench and go from there, but for the most part, I think just our physicality led to a lot of misplays by them and some turnovers that led to more zone time for us,” said Marcus Foligno to the media in his postgame interview after Game 3 when asked about the physicality. 

Wild’s Blocked Shots 

Something the Wild have done slightly better than the Avalanche all series is blocking shots. The first game was 12-11 in favor of the Wild, Game 2 was 13-11 for the Wild, Game 3 was 15-8 for the Wild, and that’s where the big difference was as well. The blocked shots have gotten better for the Wild in each game of this series, and it’s paid off. 

Those blocked shots have also been key in helping their goaltenders make saves by not allowing the puck to get to them. Going against a team like the Avalanche, a lot of shots are going to be taken, but if the defense can step up, it’ll help in the long run. Of course, you want your goaltenders to make the saves, but having their teammates step up and make sacrifices helps as well. 

If the Wild want to get another win over the Avalanche, they’ll have to play the same style they did in Game 3, but with another step up. They’ll need Wallstedt at his best, their physicality ramped up once again, and they’ll need players to lay out and block shots. If they can do those things and find another level, they’ll have a chance to even up the series 2-2.