The Minnesota Wild were trying to keep their dwindling postseason hopes alive when they took on the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, April 9. While the prank war between Marc-André Fleury and Brandon Duhaime reached new heights and included an apology in which Fleury appeared to be the winner, the same can’t be said for what happened on the ice.
The beginning of the game was all Avalanche, as the Wild took a few ill-timed penalties that gave the Avalanche too many power-play chances. The Avalanche scored the game’s first two goals to jump to a 2-0 lead, but the Wild found a way to fight back and tie things at two before the period ended.
The second period was all Avalanche again, as they scored three unanswered goals, including the third goal of the night for Nathan MacKinnon, who hit the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career, to take a 5-2 lead into the third. The Wild could not mount any offense, but they kept the Avalanche from scoring any more goals. They lost 5-2 and were officially knocked out of the postseason at the hands of MacKinnon, which is where we’ll start.
Wild’s Defense Struggles Against MacKinnon
Everyone knows how strong a player MacKinnon is, but against the Wild, it seemed he couldn’t be stopped. No matter what defensive combination was put out against him, he made them look like they were standing still. He blew by them several times, three of which resulted in goals. Even Filip Gustavsson, who was in the net and looked pretty sharp, didn’t stand a chance against MacKinnon’s speed.
The first goal was a turnover deep in the offensive zone that turned into a breakaway for MacKinnon, and the defense couldn’t turn around quickly enough to stop him. In the second goal, the Avalanche had control, but again, once they threw the puck to MacKinnon, he sped around everyone like they were pylons. The third goal was like the first: an offensive zone turnover, and MacKinnon was off to the races that no one could catch up with. Obviously, with the Wild officially out of the postseason, they don’t have to worry about the Avalanche until next season, but if they want to make the postseason next year, MacKinnon is a player they have to shut down.
Wild’s Power Play Ups & Downs
The Wild’s power play was successful but also unsuccessful against the Avalanche. They scored two power-play goals out of a possible five chances. The two goals they scored got them back into the game and tied it at one point, but then the Avalanche pulled ahead, and the Wild couldn’t convert on their following chances, which could’ve changed the game.
The Wild fell into their trap of not shooting enough again, and by the time they shot the puck, it was blocked. The Avalanche struggled on their penalty kill, but the Wild couldn’t exploit it enough. They found success when they caused chaos in front of the net. If they can’t get shots on goal, they must be in front of the net, screening and waiting for rebounds.
The power play has struggled with consistency all season, and it’s one reason they won’t be heading to the postseason. They’ll need to develop new ideas for their power play during the offseason and hopefully have more success next season.
Wild Not Enough Urgency
Their lack of urgency has been a struggle in their big games this season. They’ll play decently and have a chance, but then they don’t play with the extra energy or push they need to force the game in their favor. When their postseason is on the line, they have to find that next step in their game, and they just didn’t this season or this game.
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Of course, it was almost impossible to shut down MacKinnon, so they were already at a disadvantage, but they also struggled to step their game up to compete with him. Again, with no postseason, many will start looking toward next season. Hopefully, the Wild will have enough wins early in the season to carry them through any tricky spots, unlike this season, but in those must-win games, they’ll have to find that desperation mode and get the wins, unlike this season.
Wild’s Next Opponent
The Wild will remain on the road as their arena will host the NCAA Frozen Four this coming weekend, April 11-13. They’ll head further west to play the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night, April 12, and then they’ll be right back at it Saturday night against the San Jose Sharks.
The Wild will still want to go out on a high note and win games, especially against the Golden Knights. They’ll need to shut down Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Chandler Stephenson from scoring goals. The Wild’s offense must also find a way to get past Logan Thompson’s goaltending. Hopefully, the Wild can step up their game and get some final wins for their fans as the season ends.
