After what felt like a month but was only five days, the Minnesota Wild were back in action at home on Thursday night (March 28) as they took on the San Jose Sharks. The Wild came out and dominated the first period with shot after shot but they weren’t rewarded with a goal until late in the period. They took that one-goal lead into the second and that’s where the Sharks climbed back in.
The Wild allowed the Sharks to tie the game up at one in the second nearly halfway through the period. The score remained tied going into the third period and that’s when the Wild jumped on an opportunity and scored just 18 seconds in to retake the lead. They didn’t get quite the energy boost expected after a goal like that but they held on.
They added one more goal to secure this must-win game 3-1. The Wild didn’t get production from their entire roster, but their top line stepped up and that’s where we’ll begin.
Wild’s Top Line Reconnected
With both Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin back in the lineup, the Wild were closer to being whole once again. They had the chance to reunite their top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Eriksson Ek and it worked. They picked up right where they left off and it was like Eriksson Ek hadn’t been out the past five games. He played strong as he typically does and showed no signs of injury as he scored the Wild’s first goal of the game.
Not to be left out, Boldy stepped up at the beginning of the third to break the tie and gave his team their second lead of the game. He played well when they broke apart the line while Eriksson Ek was out, but he was reignited when they reconnected. He not only scored a goal but he also assisted on the first goal of the game.
That leaves the third member of their line who’s usually the star of the game but against the Sharks he helped set up the goals rather than score them which is equally as important. Kaprizov assisted on both of his linemate’s goals for two points and reached 45 assists for the season, a new career high.
Wild’s Power Play Needs Boost
The Wild may have come out with the win but they still have areas to improve on in their game if they intend to keep winning. The first is being successful on the power play, despite having Eriksson Ek back they couldn’t convert on either of their power play chances. It’s been said over and over, they have the talent to be scoring on nearly every power play they get, depending on the other team’s penalty kill of course.
Thankfully for the Wild, their penalty kill was successful on the one penalty they had to kill off. Besides the penalty kill they did a good job of staying out of the box and not putting themselves in that position, something they had turned into a bad habit of this season. They just have to keep that mindset going as these last games unfold.
Wild Again Do Just Enough
The Wild weren’t outstanding in their win over the Sharks, but they did just enough to come out with the win. They weren’t outskating the Sharks despite outshooting them in the first period but once the second and third started, the Sharks started to show some promise. Luckily for the Wild, their goaltender Filip Gustavsson stepped up and kept his team in the game throughout the second and then protected their lead in the third.
Related: Wild Get All-Around Defenseman With Jack Peart Signing
This game was considered a must-win for the Wild in hopes of playoffs but they didn’t play with the desperation they should be playing with in every game until the end of the season. They got away with this effort against a struggling Sharks team but they have to face a strong Vegas Golden Knights team this weekend.
Wild Face Golden Knights
The Wild will remain at home to face the Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon (March 30) and this game is at the top of the must-win list as the Golden Knights are ahead of them in the standings and they need the points. However, the Wild will have to give some of their best effort if they hope to win.
They’ll have to step up and keep the big scoring powers of Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Chandler Stephenson off the scoreboard. The defense will be quite busy with those guys but the offense will have to find a way past Logan Thompson, Adin Hill, or Jiří Patera in net if they hope to win. Hopefully, the Wild can use this win over the Sharks to boost their play and get a win over the Golden Knights.
