Following a very emotional shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Friday, Feb. 17, the Minnesota Wild were looking to continue their home-ice advantage when they took on the Nashville Predators on Sunday, Feb. 19. The game started out very physical for both sides and while the Wild let up a bit on the hitting as the game wore on, they didn’t let up on scoring.
The game was scoreless through the first period as has been the Wild’s MO the last couple of games, but they found some scoring magic at the beginning of the second. They took a 1-0 lead when Brandon Duhaime tipped a shot from Frédérick Gaudreau just nine seconds into the second period. That gave them the momentum they needed to add another goal, this time on the power play and they held a two-goal lead through the majority of the period before the Predators scored late to get within one.
The Wild didn’t let that get them down and scored a goal early in the third to get back ahead by two. Again, they held the lead throughout most of the period until the Predators scored again to make it 3-2. This time the Predators took the advantage and scored with under a minute left to tie it and it looked like overtime was needed. However, the Wild found a way to score with 21 seconds left on an odd bounce and took the game 4-3.
Wild’s Duhaime Finds Spark
After having a season that’s been consumed by injuries, and a number of scoring opportunities but rarely rewarded, Brandon Duhaime was finally able to inject some life into his game. He’s one of the Wild’s biggest energy guys with his very physical, nonchalant style but against the Predators, he was able to showcase both his physical and scoring side.
Kirill Kaprizov may have had two goals in the game and ultimately was a hero to his team but so was Duhaime. He didn’t record any hits but he pushed past a number of players and registered three shots on goal plus deflected the first goal of the game. It wasn’t all offense for Duhaime, he was active defensively as well with two takeaways and two blocked shots.
Duhaime has had good games since returning from injury but this was the best game of his season thus far. He seemed motivated and ready to push through anything thrown his way. Hopefully, he can continue this as the Wild could use his energy going forward.
Wild Didn’t Overdo It Physically
Despite the absence of Marcus Foligno, who’s known for leading the team in physicality, the Wild were still able to keep up in the physical battle against the Predators. They backed off slightly as they ended with 19 hits compared to the Predators’ 25, but they also made sure to not overdo it. Whenever the Wild have gotten involved in physical games in the past, they’d try to outdo their opponent and they’d end up in the penalty box for retaliation.
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This time around the Wild kept focused and were only in the penalty box twice. It’s not surprising Ryan Reaves led the team with five hits but second place was quite shocking. One of the Wild’s smallest players, Jared Spurgeon, was right behind him in the hit department, and hitting is something Spurgeon rarely does. It helped his team defensively in this game and if he can continue this, he’ll be able to add another weapon to his already strong game.
Wild Step-Up All-Around
The Wild won this game because they were able to score goals both in five-on-five situations and on the power play. However, the biggest thing was how many players stepped up and made a difference. Connor Dewar, Mason Shaw, Filip Gustavsson, Adam Beckman, Duhaime, and Kaprizov, all of these players made a difference in the game whether they scored or not.
Shaw especially had a big game and showed he has no intention of being sent back to the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League if he can help it. With Foligno being out for an unknown period of time, Shaw has time to show if he can keep his game going. If he can, the Wild may have to send someone else back to Iowa instead.
I would be remiss to not include Ryan Hartman in this conversation. He did have the game-winner after all, even if it did bounce off his chest and into the net. He didn’t take the shot but had to time the redirection just right. He did the same thing in their game against the New Jersey Devils where he scored off his back. It wasn’t the game-winner, but it tied the game to force overtime and eventually a shootout that the Wild went on to win. Hartman’s been stepping up his game a lot recently and like Duhaime, hopefully, he can keep it up.
Wild’s Next Opponent
The Wild have one more game at home to end their seven-game homestand and they’ll be looking to end it on a high note but they have to get past the Los Angeles Kings to do that. While the Predators had a couple of connections to the Wild in Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund, the Kings have one from more recently in Kevin Fiala.
The Wild have to put a lot of focus on Fiala but also his teammates Anže Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Phillip Danault who are all top scorers on the Kings. However, that’s only the start as the Wild will also have to find a way past goaltender Jonathan Quick who will likely be the starter, but they also may have to find a way past a relatively new name and the Kings’ current backup Pheonix Copley. Regardless of which goaltender they face, the Wild will have to continue their scoring while five-on-five or risk giving up their current win streak.
