The Minnesota Wild got back to their winning ways last week when they took on the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks. They had a lighter schedule with two games and both in front of their home crowd. They came out on top in both but they didn’t get by without a fight to the finish.
With the trade deadline nearly here, the Wild have already made a few changes. One of the players that made the struggle list multiple times this season, Nico Sturm, was traded away to the Colorado Avalanche. In his place, the Wild received another young forward in Tyson Jost. They also added some physicality in Nic Deslauriers from the Anaheim Ducks for a 2023 third-round pick.
Wild’s Hartman Back on Top
Ryan Hartman, who soared to the top of the scoresheet at the beginning of the season, found his way back there this last week. He scored the final goal in their game against the Bruins, it turned out to be an empty netter to seal the win. He also assisted on the first goal of the game scored by his linemate Kirill Kaprizov. In their next game, he recorded the game-winner for his third point of the week. He now has 46 points in 60 games played.
His linemate Kaprizov was next in line as he tied Hartman for points. He also scored two goals and an assist in the last two games. He got things going against the Bruins with back-to-back goals to give the Wild a 2-0 lead. The next game he secured an assist on Hartman’s game-winning goal against the Blackhawks for his third point of the week and 76th overall.
Related: Wild Check-In: Boldy & Fiala at the Top, Sturm & Dewar Struggle
The final player to make this list was Jordan Greenway, thankfully he’s on the successful list this time around. He, like Hartman, had a goal in each game, against the Bruins he had the game-winner, and against the Blackhawks he snatched an empty-netter for his 18th point of the season. He’s a bit behind his teammates in the points department due to a couple of injuries he’s battled over the season, but he’s making his way back.
Wild’s Fiala & Boldy Quiet
They were at the top of the list in the last check-in but this time they’re at the bottom. Kevin Fiala didn’t have a horrible week but a quiet one. In the two games last week, he recorded a single assist for one point. It was his 55th point of the season and it came against the Blackhawks on Frederick Gaudreau’s first goal of the game.
Matt Boldy, like Fiala, was one of the top players in previous weeks but this last one he dropped off. He didn’t record any points in their two games. He even struggled in the defensive aspect of his game, he had one giveaway and no blocked shots. However, he did have three takeaways and a hit, so there was a little good.
The last player on this list was Marcus Foligno who also didn’t score any points. His production has been up and down this season but he’s already set a career-high in goals and points. In the last five games, he’s tallied one point. Hopefully, these three players will eventually get back up to the top of the list soon.
Wild’s Goaltending Situation
That’s right, the goaltending still seems to be an issue but it appears to be coming around, at least for Cam Talbot. He was in net for both of their wins last week and kept his goals allowed at two or under, something that hasn’t been accomplished in nearly three weeks. Thankfully he is turning his game around, now he needs Kaapo Kahkonen to follow in his footsteps and get on the winning track too.
Wild’s Week Ahead
The Wild will have a slow week with another two-day break in between. They’ll play three games this week against the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets and all of them will be at home. They’ll have their hands full with their first matchup of the week, the Golden Knights, who have beaten them the last two times they’ve played each other.
The Golden Knights will be coming off a dominating 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Wild will have to keep an eye on their leading scorers of Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, Reilly Smith, and Shea Theodore. While they’re keeping the Wild’s defense busy, the Wild’s forwards will have to find a way past either Laurent Brossoit or Logan Thompson in net. The Golden Knights’ regular starting goaltender Robin Lehner is out with an injury, so the duties will fall to their backups. Hopefully, the Wild can keep their winning streak going and find a way past the Golden Knights to start the week on the right note.
