It’s that time of year again when everyone has either already made their wish list for Santa or is frantically making some last-minute changes. Even though the Minnesota Wild have done a good job of turning their season around so far after their recent coaching change, they still have things to ask Santa for.
They’ve found ways to be successful on the power play and even their penalty kill, which has struggled most of the season. Certain players, from Kirill Kaprizov to Brock Faber, have even found ways to step up. One thing, however, makes the top of the list, and that is their faceoff percentages, and that’s where we’ll begin.
Wild Win Faceoffs
The first thing the Wild need to ask for this holiday season is to start winning faceoffs. While they may have resurrected their penalty kill from the bottom of the NHL, their faceoff percentage took its spot. Out of 31 games played, they’ve won just 45 percent of their faceoffs, while the top team in the league, the New York Rangers, have won 54.9 percent in the same number of games.
Thankfully, they’ve found a way to win faceoffs on the power play, but on the flip side, their penalty kill faceoffs have struggled, with just 38.4 percent of faceoffs won while shorthanded. Faceoffs are key to winning possession and thus controlling play, something the Wild really need to do.
They have found ways to win despite having such a low faceoff percentage, but that won’t continue to last. They need Santa to gift them the ability to win more faceoffs as the season continues. Hopefully, this will be the first item on the list granted this Christmas season.
Wild Need Consistency & Identity
The biggest thing that new head coach John Hynes has helped the Wild with was finding a way to play with identity again, something they’d gone away from. Being able to play their game style has been crucial to them winning, but so has consistent play. That’s why consistency and identity are the next items on the Wild’s wish list this season.
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Obviously, every team wants the gift of consistency when their team is playing well, but the Wild always seem to struggle in this area. They’ll have a strong game where they excel in all areas, but then in the next game, they’ll struggle in those same areas. They need help finding a way to play consistently and with that same identity in every game they play.
They will still lose games, of course, but if they can find consistency and identity, they’ll find ways to protect their leads and win in regulation instead of all these close overtime and shootout wins. A win is a win, but energy is also important, and while the Wild are without a full roster, they can’t continue to expend extra energy. Hopefully, Santa will also grant this wish, and the Wild’s win streak will continue.
Wild Need Healthy Roster
The final item on this list is the Wild’s need to have a full, healthy roster once again. They’ve been without their top defenseman, Jonas Brodin, since Dec. 8, Jared Spurgeon since Dec. 10, Mats Zuccarello since Dec. 18, and Ryan Hartman since Dec. 21. They’ve been without their top two defensemen for nearly two weeks, and they’ve managed to lose just one game in that time.
It may seem like they’re fine without their top players, and while Faber has shined in their absence, he can only do that for so long. They need their top two defensemen back, one of their top scorers in Zuccarello, and one of their best grinders in Hartman. Hopefully, the Wild can get this wish granted and have their players back healthy, or at least one or two players, to get things back rolling smoother.
Wild Have Other Wishes
Many other items could be on the list, but these three are the most important during the season. They could also wish for strong goaltending, playing disciplined, and for every player to find another level in their game.
While there are so many wishes, only so many will be granted, and hopefully, these top three will be, and we’ll see another step in this team’s game after the holiday break. It’s great they’ve started to win games and believe in themselves, but there are always ways to improve, and these items are the most crucial to them winning games.
