The Minnesota Wild were on a three-game winning streak when they took on the Nashville Predators at home on Thursday night, Jan. 25. They nearly got themselves in trouble early when the Predators snuck one by Filip Gustavsson, or so they thought. It was deemed a high stick, and the goal was waved off, so the Wild were alive again. Despite some good looks in the final minute, the period ended with no score.
In the second period, the Wild jumped on the scoreboard with a goal on the power play. They held the lead throughout the period, and things looked pretty good. In the third period, things started to unravel as the Predators scored back-to-back goals under a minute apart to take their first lead of the game.
They added a third goal near the period’s halfway point that looked to end the Wild’s hope of another win. However, the Wild wouldn’t go down without a fight and tallied their second power-play goal with just over four minutes left in regulation. They had strong chances towards the end, but the Predators protected their lead and won 3-2. The Wild have to protect their leads better, and that’s where we’ll begin.
Wild’s Lack of Protecting Leads
Before the winning streak the Wild just broke with this loss, they had made a bad habit of letting leads slip away. It’s how they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, and of course, the Predators. There’s not just one thing that can be blamed for these losses other than the Wild finding different ways to blow leads despite having strong leadership in head coach John Hynes who already got them through several losing streaks.
They turned the puck over nine times and were reaching for pucks instead of moving their feet. They appeared a step behind as the game continued while the Predators seemed to gain speed. They were sloppy with their passes, with many of them not reaching their final destination because they didn’t have enough speed behind the puck.
While it’s understandable for the Wild to play their top line more in a game, they may need to play their fourth line a bit more in the future. The top line had nothing left at the end, and had they played their fourth line more during the beginning of the game, the first line may have had more gas left at the end to get another goal.
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The Wild did have a lead to begin with, so the game wasn’t all bad, but they have to tighten up their defense if they hope to protect future leads. Brock Faber continues to step up but needs help, especially when he makes mistakes expected from a rookie. Others have to be better, and that also includes the forwards.
Wild’s Lack of Shots
The Wild can’t find a way to register shots consistently; they’ll have over 30 shots in one game and under 20 in the next. Against the Predators, they were outshot 11-6 in the first period, bounced back in the second 11-4, and fell again 13-7 in the third. They were only outshot 28-24 total, but with their talent level, players need to shoot all the time.
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Kirill Kaprizov needs to register more than two shots a game, and the same can be said for Mats Zuccarello, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Marco Rossi, who all recorded just one shot a piece. They need more out of their top players, and sometimes that means being more selfish and taking the shot instead of passing. The Wild love to pass the puck first but that doesn’t score goals.
Wild’s Eriksson Ek & Boldy Step Up
Kaprizov may be at the top of the Wild’s scoring, but Eriksson Ek isn’t far behind. So far, in 48 games played, he’s tallied 21 goals and 18 assists for 39 points, just five behind Kaprizov’s 44 points. Eriksson Ek has now had 11 points in the last six games with three consecutive games with a goal. As stated above, the Wild need him to take more shots despite his goal scoring.
Matt Boldy, who had five shots on goal, is also on a point streak; in the past four games, he’s had five points. Both Eriksson Ek and Boldy had a hand in their win streak and nearly got them a win over the Predators as well. The Wild need these two to keep their scoring streak alive and help their power play succeed, as both goals came on the power play.
Wild’s Final Game Before Break
The Wild have one more game at home on Saturday, Jan. 27, before having a week off for the All-Star Break. They’ll face the Anaheim Ducks for the first time this season, and the defense will have to be better. They will have to watch out for Frank Vatrano, Troy Terry, Adam Henrique, Mason McTavish, and Ryan Strome, who are all strong scorers.
However, the offense will also have to do more and get past either John Gibson or Lukáš Dostál in goal. Hopefully, they can get a lead and keep it against the Ducks to go into the break on a high note to carry through after the break as well.