The Minnesota Wild’s first game of their recent back-to-back didn’t go the way they wanted with a disappointing loss to the Dallas Stars on the road but they were expecting things to change when they returned home the following night to take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 9. However, their hope for a big home-ice win dwindled away as the game went on.
Both games included the Wild getting down early and despite numerous chances, they were unable to climb back into either game. They did show some life against the Stars but unfortunately, it disappeared the next night when they took on the Golden Knights. The Wild made a number of mistakes in both games and it was mainly on the shoulders of their defense.
Wild’s Sloppy Defense
In both of their games against the Stars and Golden Knights, the Wild’s defense found themselves in a heap of trouble. They allowed the Stars’ forwards to get behind them and they weren’t quick enough to catch up. They left their goaltender Filip Gustavsson all alone and there was nothing he could do even with his excellent play throughout the game.
The same thing happened the next night against the Golden Knights but it didn’t happen right away so things appeared better defensively. The first couple of goals could be considered goaltender errors but the third and fifth were all on the defense. It’s unclear why this is all of a sudden a problem especially when the Wild’s defense has been known to be quick on its feet.
They’ve had some defensive errors like leaving an open wing on the penalty kill, but allowing opponents to get in behind them is more troublesome. The Wild have to fix this issue and make sure they stay in front of their opponents or risk leaving their goaltenders all alone.
Wild Lack Effort Early Despite Line Changes
In both games, the Wild lacked effort early and couldn’t find the energy they needed to get themselves back into the game. In the first period against the Stars, they were outshot 14-9 and the same thing happened against the Golden Knights with the Wild getting outshot 9-7. The shot gap was closer the second night but still not enough to get anything going.
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After their loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night (Feb. 6), the Wild’s coaching staff knew something had to be done so they switched their lines around to try and get some form of energy flowing right away. They removed Sam Steel from the top-line center and dropped him to the second line with Matt Boldy and Frédérick Gaudreau, in his place they moved up Ryan Hartman. Hartman worked hard and proved he wanted the spot but couldn’t put any points on the board other than a disallowed goal.
For their next game, the Wild may have to get a little more creative when they change up the lines. They may have to think about splitting up the dynamic duo of Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov to try and give their team the jumpstart they need at the beginning of the game. However, it won’t be any good if their defense doesn’t get itself in line first and make sure they don’t allow opponents to get behind them and score some early goals.
Wild’s Fourth Line & Goaltending Stepped Up
The Wild’s power play may have been the goal producers in both games but their fourth line had some of the best play by far and went vastly unnoticed. The trio of Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar, and Ryan Reaves tried very hard in both games to get something going in terms of scoring and hitting. They had some very close scoring opportunities that would’ve for sure changed the outcome of the game but the opposing goaltenders were too good.
The Wild’s goaltenders also had strong outings, Gustavsson played extremely well against the Stars, and the goals he let in were due to a lack of defense as previously stated. Fleury, on the other hand, did struggle a bit against the Golden Knights at first but he also wasn’t given much defensive help and was pulled before the third period started after giving up five goals. Hopefully, their goaltending doesn’t give up and will continue to play strong despite what plays out in front of them.
Wild’s Next Opponent
Unfortunately for the Wild, their opponents won’t get any easier but they will continue their homestand and try to rekindle that home-ice advantage. It may stay difficult on the defensive side of things since their best defenseman Jonas Brodin didn’t play the last two games because of a lower-body injury and it’s unclear when he’ll return.
The Wild’s next game will be Saturday, Feb. 11 at home against the New Jersey Devils who are currently one of the best teams in the NHL. If they want to win they’ll have to find a way to stop Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer, but they won’t have to worry about top scorer Jack Hughes who is out with an injury.
The Wild’s goaltending will be very busy but their offense will have to find a way to lift them out of this slump and get past the Devils’ goaltending of Mackenzie Blackwood or Vitek Vanecek. The Wild have no choice, they have to play better than they have the prior two games or they will suffer more losses. Hopefully, they can fix their defense and find a way to have energy earlier in the game. If they can do those things, they will have a chance to beat the Devils.
