Sometimes teams are a bit rusty when they come out of the holiday break after having three to four days off. The Minnesota Wild have been known to struggle after breaks, but not this time; they were ready to go when they took on the Detroit Red Wings at home on Wednesday, Dec. 27. They got things started under a minute into the game with a set up by their top line to take an early 1-0 lead.
However, six minutes later, Patrick Kane made his presence known with a goal of his own to tie things at one, and that’s how the first would end. The Wild managed to keep the Red Wings off the scoreboard throughout the second period and added a goal of their own to take a 2-1 lead. However, things opened up in the third period when a combined six goals were scored.
The Red Wings started the third off by tying the game up at two goals a piece, but then the Wild roared back with three unanswered goals of their own to take a 5-2 lead. The Red Wings registered another goal to get back within two, but the Wild’s goal clincher, Kirill Kaprizov, scored one final goal to put the Red Wings on their heels. While Kaprizov has shined lately, so has his teammate Marcus Johansson, and he’s where we’ll start.
Wild’s Johansson Finds Game
After being picked up last season at the trade deadline, Johansson went on a scoring rampage, scoring 18 points in 20 games during the regular season. Obviously, everyone struggled during the postseason, but it was hoped he would pick up where he left off this season. He scored his first goal six games into the season, and things looked good, with four assists to follow.
However, despite some assists here and there, he went without a goal for 24 games. In that 25th game, he found his scoring stride and has been quite successful since, scoring three goals in the last four games, including the most recent effort that helped take down the Red Wings.
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That most recent effort wasn’t just one goal but two that got them their second lead of the game, and the second put them up by three goals. The goals weren’t his only contribution either, as he threw in an assist for a team-leading three points in the game. Hopefully, he can keep this scoring going, as the Wild need every goal they can get.
Wild Get All-Around Offense
The Wild got goals from up and down their lineup, starting with Matt Boldy, who started things with a strong setup by Kaprizov. Next up was Johansson, with his two goals spread out through the game. After Johansson, Ryan Hartman was looking to jump right into things after missing several games due to injury.
Marcus Foligno followed Hartman, extending his scoring streak to two games after scoring against the Boston Bruins before their holiday break. He showed some strong stickwork to maneuver around the Red Wings’ goaltender with a backhand shot while being pushed down. Johansson threw in another goal after Hartman, and then it was finished off by Kaprizov with a nice deflected shot.
None of the Wild’s defense could get in on the scoring action, but they definitely tried with shots from four of their defensemen. Seeing so many players get involved in the scoring action from the top to the third line was great. The fourth line didn’t find any magic, but like the defensemen, they came close. Again, hopefully, this amount of production can continue, and the Wild will stay successful.
Wild Disciplined With Struggles
The Wild did find a way to take fewer penalties this time around, but out of the two penalties they took, one was an offensive zone penalty that shouldn’t happen. They found a way to kill off that penalty, but later on, they took another, which led to a breakdown on their penalty kill. The Red Wings scored to tie the game at two goals a piece.
It’s great they’ve found ways to kill off penalties and take fewer overall, but there’s still work to do. While avoiding any penalties at all would be the best idea, offensive zone penalties take away entire scoring chances and can’t continue to happen as the Wild have made it somewhat of a habit this season.
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Hopefully, they can find a way to continue lowering the number of penalties they take and when they take them. Certain players have found themselves stuck in these situations and need to find a way to stay more disciplined as well.
Wild’s Busy Weekend
The Wild have a busy weekend ahead of them as they’ll have a home and home back-to-back against the Winnipeg Jets. They’ll start at home on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 30, and then head to Winnipeg for another matinee game on New Year’s Eve. These are four big points the Wild could use to jump some spots in the standings, and hopefully, they can find ways to win.
They must keep Mark Scheifele, Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, and former Wild player Nino Niederreiter off the scoresheet. The Wild will also need their offense to keep its scoring up against Connor Hellebuyck or Laurent Brossoit. They’ve found ways to win without their top players, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Mats Zuccarello. Hopefully, they can keep that going this weekend.
