The Minnesota Wild have made it a habit this season to start very slow and allow the opposing team to score a few goals before they wake up and join the game. They met up with the New Jersey Devils for the second time in less than a week on Thursday, Nov. 2, and it looked like the same routine was going to unfold once again, even with Matt Boldy back in the lineup after being out with an injury.
Their previous meet-up on Oct. 29 left a bad taste in the Wild’s mouth as they let several chances get away and gave up too many things on special teams. The Wild started things out slow once again and allowed the Devils to get a jumpstart on the scoring. They scored twice unanswered in the first period to take a 2-0 lead into the second.
In the second period, it continued to get worse as the Devils extended their lead to three after scoring a power play goal. However, after a big penalty kill, the Wild found some momentum and responded with a power play goal of their own to get within two. They started the third with that energy and scored early to make it 3-2.
The Wild looked like they’d finally found their game during that third period until late when penalties got the best of them. The Devils scored on the man advantage to go ahead by two once again, but the Wild had one last fight in them and scored again to get back within one goal. However, their penalties destroyed any chance they had, and the Devils responded once more to take the game 5-3.
Wild Repeat Penalty Problems
It’s hard to know which is more to blame for the Wild’s demise, their taking penalties at the worst possible time, or their inability to kill them off. It also didn’t help that their opponent has the best power play in the league, and it was clearly on display all night. The Wild took five penalties, and the Devils scored on three of them.
Two of the three goals were from a similar position on the ice, but all three resulted from the Wild not covering the right player. Of course, when a team is down a man, they can’t cover everyone, but they must move around and cover who they can. Unfortunately for the Wild, they haven’t figured out who to cover and when; someone always manages to slip through the cracks.
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As far as the penalties go, the Wild caused their loss by taking two penalties back-to-back in the final two minutes of the game during their prime time to tie the game up. Not only were they bad timing, but also on their top two scoring players in Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. They need to stay disciplined and take fewer penalties, and their top players must stay on the ice, not in the box.
Wild’s Rollercoaster Efforts
Again, the Wild waited too long to join the game. They were slow to start and allowed the Devils to skate around them and score goals nearly undefended. Filip Gustavsson was in the net, and even he struggled to keep out pucks as he stopped 33 of 38 shots on goal for a .868 save percentage.
When things looked bleak, the Wild found the ability to kill off a penalty, and they drew one of their own as well. That penalty kill was the turning point for them to start playing their own game and not allowing the Devils to control the play. They scored a big goal on the power play, giving them the life they needed to continue to battle.
The goal came from their top scorer, Kaprizov, and their game took an intense turn from there. There was a lot more physicality and speed from everyone, including Gustavsson. It picked up after Marco Rossi scored his first goal of the game and fourth goal of the season. They were more aggressive, and they forced the Devils into making mistakes, but again, they couldn’t make it last. They got careless, and despite starting a solid comeback, they couldn’t finish it.
Wild Have Promise
Outside of the apparent penalty kill and penalty issues, the Wild showed the most substantial effort they’ve had, except for their first two wins. Boldy looked good in his first game back, other than the penalty he had to take at the end of the game to prevent an empty net goal. He was a little rusty, but that’s to be expected after missing some time.
What was impressive was the Wild’s coaching staff changing up the lines, including the top line. They put Boldy, Rossi, and Kaprizov together, creating a real spark; they should keep that line together, at least for the next game, and see where it takes them. The second line of Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, and Mats Zuccarello also looked strong. Even the physical line of Ryan Hartman, Marcus Foligno, and Pat Maroon worked well together and created chances, especially Maroon, who’s looked better in every game he plays.
Apart from the lines working well together after being shuffled, there was an individual effort that has to be noted, and that’s Rossi. He worked hard on the penalty kill and saved his teammates several times. He didn’t stop there either; he made things happen including adding another goal to his resume. Hopefully, he can start being the energy the Wild need when they find themselves in situations like this, and they can successfully dig themselves out.
Wild Face Rangers
The Wild have one more game at home this Saturday, Nov. 4, before they head out for another three-game road trip that will once again be out east. This time, they’ll face the New York Rangers, who are off to a hot 8-2-0 start. The Wild will have their hands full and cannot allow their penalty kill to get in their way again.
Their defense must be top-notch to keep Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and K’Andre Miller off the scoreboard. One of the Rangers’ top scorers, Adam Fox, was injured in their most recent game, and it’s unclear if he’ll be available to face the Wild. Filip Chytil also left that game injured, so the Rangers will be down two of their best, but they’re still a strong team that has to be taken seriously.
Related: Wild Check-In: Hartman, Foligno Step Up But Penalty Kill Struggles
The Wild have some things to figure out, and they have to do so before they face the Rangers. They put together strong chances against the Devils; they must keep it going. Hopefully, they can finally do so against the Rangers and return to the win column.
