The Minnesota Wild have gone through some rough games these past weeks, and missing key pieces in their lineup hasn’t helped. It’s been the theme all season that despite those injuries, they keep working hard and can win even if they don’t have their normal lineup. So far, they’ve proven just that, and even with these losses, they’ve kept their heads up.
It was noticed this Wild team was different from the season’s past right at the beginning of this season, and it’s stuck with the entire time. They’ve managed to keep themselves a top team and are considered a top team in the NHL, which hasn’t happened much in seasons past. In this article, we’ll look at how they’ve done it and stuck with top teams even if they haven’t won, starting with playing confidently.
Wild Play With Confidence
Every team in the NHL plays better when they have confidence in themselves, and the Wild are no exception. It indeed showed in their last few games when they played other top teams in the league, and despite giving up leads, they fought the whole game, especially against the Edmonton Oilers. They know they have the talent to stay with these guys and be those top guys.
While they’ve shown it on the ice, they’ve also shown it in the lockerroom in how they discuss their play. They know how they can play, and they know they are a top team and can continue to be one but also beat those other top teams they’re battling.
“I mean, what, we’re fifth in the league in points? Yeah, you want to beat those teams, but again, we’re fifth in the NHL in points; you ask that in October. I think you guys would’ve been happy with that, so you know it is what it is, but yeah, you want to come out and play these games and beat the best teams in the league, obviously, I thought the way we played tonight compared to the last time we played them was a whole lot better that’s for sure but yeah just have to find a way to beat these teams and dig in a little more.” Matt Boldy responded when asked about wanting to get past the big teams in the West.
“Honestly, we came out tied against the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid and Drasital in the first; that’s a win for us, right? Like we’re on home ice, it’s a good spot for us; we’re not uncomfortable being tied, right? We’ve shown that all year. So, yeah, it sucked obviously not having a lead, but there was no down feeling in the room when we came in for intermission,” Jake Middleton said in regards to the Wild dropping their lead, being tied, but still being confident in their play and who they’re playing against.
Wild Acknowledge Missing Players
The Wild have been without at least one key player at a time all season and often multiple at a time. While they’ve talked about being able to push through and win games without these players, it’s affected certain parts of their game, especially lately with their defense. Missing Jonas Brodin, Brock Faber, and Jared Spurgeon has been hard on the defensive core, but they’ve still found ways to succeed.
Of course, they’ve discussed how it has affected their team, especially in terms of offense. It would affect any team, but they’ve pushed through. Again, they know they aren’t going to be able to do certain things with these players out, but that doesn’t mean they can’t win games.
“There’s about five players missing to get on the other side of those things, and that’s not a knock on anyone in here because we’re still competing against these top teams, and we are missing some weapons on/in our lineup. So, I do; I think we are right there; we haven’t pulled away as of late, but we are right there.” Middleton said when asked what was missing to get past these top teams in the league but still competing with them despite missing key pieces of their roster.
Wild Aren’t Perfect But Have the Talent
The Wild have the talent to stay with these top teams, and although they haven’t always won, they’ve competed. They haven’t been outskated or been outdone in terms of efforts, even with missing their top scorer. Of course, having Kirill Kaprizov in the lineup would’ve helped, but they’ve done pretty decently without him, making it much more exciting to know he’ll be back.
“I mean, you’re not going to be perfect; it’s 82 games; you guys look at it a little bit more than we do it’s obviously you want to go out there and play well, which I thought we did. I thought we were a lot better in the third than we were in Vegas, better effort, more chances, stuff like that but it’s not going to be perfect. You’re not going to go in every time you’re tied going into the third period, not always going to win so…..” Boldy said in regards to losing to the Oilers but still improving their play and acknowledging they aren’t perfect.
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As Boldy pointed out, the team isn’t perfect, and they will lose games, it happens. However, something that was noticed is their effort levels. Despite suffering back-to-back losses against top teams that would have disappointed most, the Wild forced themselves to improve their efforts and prove they can compete at the top level.
“Yeah, I thought the whole game was basically an A+ effort. When you look at our last two games, where we gave up leads in the third period, much different this game compared to last game in Vegas. So, obviously, there’s no moral victories in this league, but we came out, and we competed for 20,” Middleton said about the effort all game and how they’ve continue to improve.
Wild Truly Are a Top Team
The Wild have proven over and over again that they are a top team, not only with their overall record. Some may say they had a lucky streak early, but they’ve continued to win games and have top efforts. They believe in their team, have confidence, and have the talent to do so, and hopefully, they can continue to prove their worth near the top of the standings.
