It may have been preseason game number two, but the residual anger from the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars postseason battle last season was still felt. Many might be thankful the game was not televised, but hearing the Stars cheer after each goal over the radio brought back some painful memories.
However, it’s important to remember again this is just the preseason, and luckily for the Wild, there are no points on the line. They had more NHL roster members playing, such as Marcus Foligno, Marcus Johansson, Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Gustavsson, Marc-André Fleury, Jake Middleton, and Pat Maroon. Despite having more NHLers in the lineup, they didn’t fare well, but there were also some bright spots.
Wild Repeat Postseason
Wild fans were grateful for the start of a new season until they met the Stars in just the second game of the preseason. It started well with an early goal for the Wild, but things unraveled with three unanswered goals in the second, followed by three more in the third for a 6-1 loss. That also meant any Wild fans listening had to hear the Stars’ goal song six times and relive the postseason all over again.
The Wild struggled on the power play, and they were more physical, the same things that were an issue in the postseason. Even both goaltenders Fleury, who started the game, and Gustavsson, who took over halfway through, weren’t spared as they both let in three goals each.
The names Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin, Mason Marchment, Jamie Benn, Jason Robertson, Evgenii Dadonov, and newcomer Matt Duchene all found ways to register points and show the Wild what they may be in store for this season. Hopefully, once they have their entire roster, the Wild have focused on this game and know how to move forward for success.
Wild’s Small Bright Spots
Speaking of success, the name Carson Lambos was spoken a lot throughout the game despite not having any points. He’s pushing to be noticed, even though it’s unlikely he’d be brought up just yet. He has yet to play with the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League, plus his contract may be on the high side for the team to fit in their budget.
He’s a strong defenseman who likes to take shots but isn’t afraid to block them. However, he wasn’t the only shining light as the Wild managed to outshoot the Stars 35-34 despite only scoring one goal. They also blocked eight shots to the Stars’ seven, and you can’t forget the hits, which the Wild nearly doubled 23-13.
On paper, the Wild did great in the majority of the stat categories but not in the most important one, the final score. Thankfully, they’re making strides in areas they need to, and while this was still a primarily prospect-filled roster, they’re building habits that need to be good ones, not bad ones.
Wild Jerseys & Rossi
It may be the preseason, but the Wild have some interesting jersey number changes this season, and they involve Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the two reasons the Wild have to be careful who they bring up this season. Since Parise and Suter left in 2021, no one has worn their jersey numbers until now.
Adam Beckman switched his number to Parise’s number 11 this season, and Suter’s number 20 went to Maroon. We may not see much of number 11, but fans will see a lot of number 20. Aside from jersey numbers, there’s one more thing to address: the play of Rossi.
His progress is being watched closely by coaches and fans, and there’s scrutiny. He couldn’t prove himself last night with any points, but he did show his worth in the faceoff dot with four faceoff wins, plus he recorded three shots on goal. Wild fans couldn’t see his performance, but he’s pushing himself on the right path.
Wild Nearly Halfway
Just like that, the Wild’s preseason is nearly halfway over, with game number three just around the corner. They’ll make their home preseason debut on Thursday, Sept. 28, against the Colorado Avalanche, who they opened the preseason against with a 4-3 win.
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It’ll be interesting to see how many more NHL roster players will play and if the compete level rises. It’s only a matter of time until the preseason ends, and the regular season will commence with points on the line every night.
