The Minnesota Wild were on the final game of their four-game road trip when they took on the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, Dec. 10. They were looking to get back in the win column after a couple of hard losses where they fought well but couldn’t get the win. They found a way to score first again after being down early the previous two games.
They scored their first goal just over seven minutes into the first period and held it throughout the first and second periods. The Kraken had some chances, but Filip Gustavsson stood tall and kept them out. The third period had some opportunities for both sides, but only the Wild found success, not once but twice, as they took the win 3-0 to move to 2-2 on the road trip. One of the reasons the Wild succeeded again was their recently changed top two lines, and that’s where we’ll start this article.
Wild’s New Top Lines
The Wild’s new head coach, John Hynes, didn’t turn the roster upside down when he first joined in hopes of sparking a winning streak. Instead, he came in and left most things as they were with just one or two subtle changes, and it worked. The same can be said about their game against the Kraken; he slightly changed the top two lines, and it worked almost immediately.
In the past few games, the top two lines have comprised of Kirill Kaprizov, Marco Rossi, and Mats Zuccarello on the top line, with Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Marcus Johansson on the second. Against the Kraken, Hynes went with Kaprizov, Boldy, and Eriksson Ek on the top line and Rossi, Zuccarello, and Johansson on the second line.
Both lines were responsible for the team’s three goals, with Boldy scoring the first, Rossi the second, and Eriksson Ek notching an empty-netter to cap things off. Each line showed a lot of chemistry, and it’s safe to say Hynes knows what he’s doing regarding roster adjustments, at least so far.
Wild’s Defense Steps Up
The most significant news surrounding this game was the recent injury to Jonas Brodin that will cause him to miss some significant time when they need him in the lineup. However, while they miss him immensely, they figured out how to play without him against the Kraken.
Every defenseman stepped up somehow, whether it was blocking shots, getting sticks in passing lanes, or throwing a well-timed hit. The list can go on and on, but everyone from Jared Spurgeon down to Zach Bogosian found a way to be involved. This is exactly what the Wild hoped for and needed with Brodin out of the lineup, as it took everyone’s effort to make up for his void.
Of course, Brock Faber discovered a way to play even better than he already had been and played 24:12, while Spurgeon had the most with 27:20. Without the help of their defense, the Wild would’ve found it challenging to get past the Kraken. Hopefully, they can keep it up as long as Brodin is out.
Wild Play Their Game
The Wild have found a way to win games because they are playing their style of game. They aren’t letting other teams control the game, instead, they are playing the game at their pace with clean breakouts and crisp passes, something they struggled with before Hynes’ arrival.
They’ve found their identity and have stuck with it even when times got tough. Yes, they lost a couple of games, but they continued to play their way, unlike earlier in the season when they would’ve fallen apart. They gave themselves chances to get back in but unfortunately couldn’t get the goals needed, which will sometimes happen; they won’t win every game despite their recent successes.
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It’s good to see them sticking to their game plan and not shrinking back when it gets complicated. Hynes has got them believing in themselves again, and it’s refreshing to see. Former coach Dean Evason did what he could, but something had to be done, and he was the unfortunate sacrifice. Thankfully, it’s worked out in the Wild’s favor, and hopefully, the same will be said about Evason. Hynes has things heading in the right direction, and the Wild will need to keep it going if they want to continue to win games.
Wild’s Next Game
The Wild will have a few days off before they play host to the Calgary Flames on Thursday, Dec. 14. It’ll be the second time they’ve seen the Flames in a week. They’ll also see the Vancouver Canucks for the second time on Saturday, Dec. 16. They were victorious against the Flames the first time, and hopefully, they can be once again.
They must keep Nazem Kadri, Elias Lindholm, Blake Coleman, and MacKenzie Weegar off the scoreboard. However, playing defense isn’t the only thing they’ll have to do, they’ll also have to find a way to score some goals on Dan Vladar or Dustin Wolf as their number one goaltender Jacob Markström deals with a broken finger. Hopefully, the Wild can play like they did in their first meetup and come out on top once again.
