3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 4-2 Win Over the Flyers

The Minnesota Wild finished their two-game road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, Nov. 3. They had a strong win on Sunday, Nov. 1 against the Washington Capitals and looked to do the same against the Flyers. They had the same lineup as their previous game, and it worked well. 

Jesper Wallstedt was in the net once again, and the Wild got off to an early start. They scored within the first four minutes of the opening period, and they added another goal 31 seconds later that gave them a 2-0 lead. They took that lead into the second period, where they scored again, which made it 3-0 just 42 seconds into the period. The Flyers answered back late in the period to get within two. 

The Flyers scored to open the third period and put the Wild on their heels just a bit, but they protected their lead and tallied an empty-net goal to secure the win 4-2. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few takeaways on how they did it, starting with the fast start. 

Wild’s First Period Scoring

The Wild have found ways to get on the board first, and it’s been a big reason for their success. They’ve scored 20 goals in the first period this season, and that was tied for the league lead along with the Edmonton Oilers as of Nov. 3. Getting the first goal is crucial to a team getting a jump start, and while it doesn’t always hold up, it’s worked for the Wild. 

Not only have they been scoring in the first period, but early in the period as well. They’ve worked hard to have the fast start, and it’s paid off for them so far. While they’ve figured out a way to get on the board first, it’s also been their star players helping make sure that happens. Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov, and Quinn Hughes have all scored first this season to help the team head in the right direction. 

“Yeah, it’s tough to be on the road so much, you know, we went home for whatever it was, two and a half days, and then right back on the road, so to get two wins on this trip is huge, but yeah, we know our recipe and what makes us good. We’ve battled injuries and guys in and out, and I think the guys that have come in have done a great job…” said Boldy in his postgame interview to the media when asked about being on the road so often. 

Wild’s Depth Scoring

Another big part of the Wild’s success this season has been the depth of their lineup both offensively and defensively. Everyone has seen how strong the defensive depth is with the absence of Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon, especially players like Matt Kiersted and David Špaček. Both have stepped up and shown what they’re capable of, and it’s earned them spots in the lineup while the injured are out. 

Switching to the offensive side, the Wild have been fairly fortunate to have their depth scoring step up, but not due to injuries. They’ve had a few players out here and there; currently it’s the Foligno brothers, but their third and fourth lines have stepped up to score and help get the wins. Players like Danila Yurov, Michael McCarron, and Blake Coleman have been able to produce and showcase what they can do, and that was against the Flyers as well. 

“Early in the first, these guys are…, it’s easy to follow their lead, and just like the other night it went their line then our line so back-to-back tonight again, and it’s nice playing with the lead,” said McCarron to the media in his postgame interview when asked about the scoring of the different lines and added, “Yeah, I mean we’re finding success, we’re playing the right way, we’re getting pucks in, we’re going to work…”

Wild Have to Watch Penalties

It was talked about in our week ahead piece as a storyline to follow, but the Wild have to find a way to stay out of the penalty box and stay disciplined. Against the Flyers, they started out that way, and as the game went on, it seemed like they’d continue that way. Instead, however, they ended up in the penalty box almost back-to-back and allowed a shorthanded goal, which gave the Flyers momentum. 

The Wild have to be more careful about penalties, as recently they seem to have lacked a little bit of discipline and taken penalties they normally wouldn’t take. They found a way to get past the Flyers despite ending up in the penalty box, but going forward that won’t always happen. They have to stay disciplined and not allow themselves to end up in the penalty box for unnecessary penalties. 

“Yeah, that was a big point in the game; obviously Mac’s (McCarron) block was huge, but to get that kill, then to get back to five-on-five, and you know they had some opportunities on the power play which I think you knew was going to happen, we had so many, and then we took some, but we knew we had to get some kills and we got a big one,” said head coach John Hynes to the media in his postgame press conference when asked about getting the penalty kill in the third. 

The Wild will head back home for a quick back-to-back before continuing on another road trip. They’ll host the San Jose Sharks on Friday, Nov. 6, and then the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, Nov. 7. Hopefully, they’ll be able to harness more of their scoring, get the first goal, and come out with more wins.