The Minnesota Wild were still severely shorthanded when they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, Jan. 4. It seems like the injury bug just won’t let up for them as they recently put captain Jared Spurgeon back on the injured list and are missing six others including Jonas Brodin, Kirill Kaprizov, and Filip Gustavsson.
With so many players out including all three of their captains, the letters had to be switched to Joel Eriksson Ek, Zach Bogosian, and Pat Maroon wearing “A”s. Both Bogosian and Maroon were traded from the Lightning to the Wild in the offseason and got to be alternate captains against their former team.
Despite missing some key pieces, they held off the Lightning throughout the first period and ended the period scoreless for both sides. That didn’t hold in the second period as the Lightning jumped out to a two-goal lead with no answers from the Wild.
They carried that lead into the third period and the Lightning extended their lead to three goals. The Wild responded with one goal towards the end to give them some hope but it didn’t last as the Lightning added an empty net goal to secure the 4-1 win and the Wild’s fourth straight loss. The injuries are a problem but there are still several highly talented players in the lineup and that’s where we’ll start.
Wild’s Top Players Absent
Everyone knew the Wild would struggle missing seven players who are integral to their lineup but they still have some top players left. Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, and Marco Rossi are all capable forwards who can score goals and are expected to step up in this very situation. However, Boldy, Rossi, and Johansson had zero shots on goal all night.
Eriksson Ek was the one bright spot with five shots on goal but unfortunately, none went in. If the Wild hope to win games, these players will have to find a way to be successful again. They had some good set-ups but couldn’t get the shots on net especially with Rossi and Ryan Hartman, although Hartman did get a shot through to the net only for it to be stopped.
They had some decent chances but couldn’t force anything through. They weren’t able to crowd the net enough or get enough shots on goal to get past the goaltending of Andrei Vasilevskiy. Their top players have to do better and hopefully, they’ll get one or two players back soon to help lift some of the burdens.
Wild Have to Find Way
Almost the entire night the Wild seemed like they were one step behind every Lightning player. They were just out of reach on breakaways, and board battles, at almost every step they seemed to get beat. The injuries are a problem but they can only be a partial excuse for so long. This team is made up of professionals and they have to find a way to win games even without their stars.
It’s going to be hard and they’re going to lose some games but they still have key players who can step up and lead the team. They also have a strong core of prospects that have been brought up to fill the voids left behind. They may not be playing for a permanent roster spot but they can still prove their worth and should play like their position is on the line.
With the current cap situation, when the injured players return, the others have to go back but that doesn’t mean they can’t show what they can do. These young players need to see this as an opportunity to carry the team when they need them the most. Almost the entire team seemed to lack that competitive edge, they didn’t have that extra energy they needed to win games.
Wild Need to Be Controlled
Part of the reason the Wild struggled so badly against the Lightning was their inability to slow the play down when they had the puck. They felt pressured to do something right away and ended up throwing the puck right back to the Lightning. They needed to find a way to hold onto the puck and slow it down so they controlled the play.
They also need to stop taking unnecessary penalties especially when facing a team like the Lightning who have one of the top power plays in the NHL. They killed off the first two penalties with a lot of help from Marc-André Fleury but the final power play nearly put things out of reach for the Wild.
Related: Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Named 2024 NHL All-Star
They’ve struggled with penalties all season and they need to find a way to stay out of trouble whether it be holding penalties or stick infractions. They need to be more in control of themselves and stay out of the box.
Wild’s Next Game
At this point, the Wild have to take things one game at a time and focus on making the right plays as the team they are. They’ll get their main guys back eventually but they have to make do with what they have right now. They are still very strong players. They wouldn’t be called up if they weren’t.
Hopefully, since they’ve had a couple of games to shake off the rust of being new to each other they can start buckling down and making things happen. They’ll face the Columbus Blue Jackets at home on Saturday night (Jan. 6) who are another team that’s faced quite a bit of struggles this season.
The Wild have to take the Blue Jackets seriously and have to keep an eye on Johnny Gaudreau, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko. However, the offense will have to step up and find a way past either the goaltending of Spencer Martin or Daniil Tarasov but they could also go with their main starter Elvis Merzļikins. Hopefully, the Wild can find a way to get their scorers going and play controlled, then they’ll have a chance to win.
