The Minnesota Wild were looking to escape their recent losing slump when they took on the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road on Saturday, Jan. 6. They were still missing six players due to injury, but they did get Mats Zuccarello back, which proved to be a nice jumpstart for their scoring. Things didn’t look promising to start as the Blue Jackets scored first and held the Wild back for a bit.
They didn’t stay out for long, as they answered back and tied the game at one apiece, and that’s how the first period ended. The second followed the same path as the Blue Jackets scored first to take the lead again. This time the Wild were held off the board longer but found a way to respond and tie it at two.
The third period looked to stay tied until late when the Blue Jackets scored to take the lead for the third time and looked to put the game away. The Wild had to dig deep and got slightly lucky with a rolling puck from Marcus Johansson to tie things at three and force overtime. There were some big chances for both teams, but the Wild got the advantage and took the win 4-3 on a Marco Rossi goal, and that’s where we’ll start with this article.
Wild’s Rookie Rossi Wins It
The Wild rookies between Rossi and Brock Faber have been one of this season’s main storylines so far. They’ve both played so hard, smart, and more veteran than their age shows. Rossi was right in the middle of it against the Blue Jackets and had several chances before his overtime goal.
That wasn’t his first game-winning goal; he accomplished that earlier in the season, but it was his first overtime winner. He has 12 goals, 12 assists, and 24 points on the season. He is in sole possession of second place among rookies for goals, but he’s still tied points-wise with Adam Fantilli of the Blue Jackets. Not to be outdone, Rossi’s teammate, Faber, is second among rookies for assists with 17.
Other than his ability to score, the most impressive thing about Rossi is his drive and dedication. He doesn’t let others push him around, and he’s always in the middle of things, whether it be in front of the opponent’s net or digging in the corners; he’s never out of the play. The Wild should be very excited about his progress and what to expect in future seasons.
Wild’s Boldy Becomes Hero
After not stepping up the way everyone expected the past few games, Matt Boldy came out ready to score. He tied the game for his team not once but twice and nearly had his first hat trick of the season. Both goals came while on the power play, and Zuccarello assisted on one of them as he made his return to the lineup known.
Boldy didn’t only help score goals. He also assisted on the game-winner to have a hand in nearly every goal the Wild scored. Plus, he had the team-leading seven shots on goal. His three-point game against the Blue Jackets was his second of the season. He now has 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points and is tied with Rossi for fourth place on the Wild roster.
Hopefully, this two-goal night is just the start of something because they need more out of him while Kirill Kaprizov and others remain out of the lineup. It’s been good to get Zuccarello back, but Boldy on fire would be even better.
Wild’s Fleury Being Fleury
We’ll end this by talking about the history maker Marc-André Fleury, who just tied Patrick Roy for second all-time in wins with number 551. Against the Blue Jackets, the Wild’s defense struggled to help Fleury and left players wide open that he didn’t get the chance to cover. However, they bounced back quickly and kept in the fight after seeing him make save after save.
While he was strong the majority of the game, with the exception of those goals, he found another step late in the third. He was pulled for the extra attacker, but instead of putting his head down and bee-lining to the bench, he kept his eye on the play, and when he saw it turn back to his end, he raced back to the net. He made a diving effort that threw off the shooter, who in turn missed the shot to put the game away. The Wild went the other way and tied the game up to force overtime.
It was just another example of the type of goaltender Fleury is. He’s extremely smart and has an amazing hockey I.Q., which is one of the reasons he is so good. The other is how hard he works to stay in shape, and his natural talent doesn’t hurt either. He already made history this season with his 1,000th game. Next, he will win 552, which may come sooner than expected.
Wild’s Next Game
The Wild will take their road win back home to face division rival the Dallas Stars on Monday, Jan. 8. It’ll likely be a heated match-up as there was bad blood during last postseason, and that doesn’t go away quickly. The Wild will want to get Fleury to win number 552 and celebrate in front of a hometown crowd.
Related: Wild’s Fleury Hits Milestone With Game 1,000
To get that win, the defense will have to be at the top of their game and keep Jason Robertson, Matt Duchene, Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, and Mason Marchment off the scoreboard. The offense will also have to do their part by getting goals past Scott Wedgewood, as starter Jake Oettinger is still recovering from an injury suffered in December.
Hopefully, the Wild can ride the high of this win into their game against the Stars and keep Boldy on his scoring streak. Also, if they can get a similarly strong performance from Fleury, they’ll have a chance to get another win and witness Fleury make history.
