The Minnesota Wild have suddenly found themselves back in the playoff race after registering a 4-0-1 record in their last five contests. Leading up to the trade deadline, it seemed they were all but out of the postseason race. But the club now sits just six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the final Western Conference wild card spot.
However, the Wild have to find ways to earn points — whether in regulation or by pushing games into overtime — if they expect to squeeze into the postseason. The club has clearly shown they are serious about making a playoff push, but they will need to rely heavily on their top line and solid goaltending from here on out. With Vegas and the Nashville Predators getting personnel upgrades at the deadline, it’s going to be very difficult to overtake them in the standings.
Hynes’ Overtime Goalie Pull Pays Off
Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes stunned the hockey world on Sunday, March 10 when his club found themselves in overtime against the Predators. The score was 3-3 and Nashville — a Central Division rival — seemed to be getting away from the Wild in the standings.
It was a must-win game for Minnesota.
Hynes made a coaching decision that had not yet been done in the NHL. He pulled Marc-Andre Fleury, giving the Wild a four-on-three advantage. After Minnesota established themselves in the offensive zone, Mats Zuccarello made a deceptive pass to Matt Boldy on the weak side and one-timed it for the game-winning goal. The puck was perfectly placed, just a foot off the ice, glove side.
Related: Minnesota Wild Playoff Hopes Hinge on Top Line Success
What made this play so spectacular is that had the Wild been scored on after pulling Fleury, they wouldn’t have gotten the point for making it into overtime. The rule has been so seldom applied in the NHL that many professional players were not even aware of the rule. When Boldy was asked after the game if he knew about the rule, he replied: “No, I did not know that. Good thing we scored. (from ‘Inside the Wild’s ‘gutsy’ OT goalie pull that risked a point under a rule players didn’t even know,’ The Athletic, 03/10/2024)”
Hynes commented about the decision after the game, noting it’s not something that should be done without a good reason. “But I think in our position, we want to be aggressive, we want to get two points. We believe in our group and want to continue to fight to play meaningful games down the stretch and let the chips fall where they may. So I think in the situation we’re in, one point, no point, it’s not going to do us any good. We’ve got to get two points.”
Some have speculated that Hynes knew the Wild’s chances in a potential shootout against the Predators were not good. The Predators have had two shootouts this season, and they have not missed a single shot in either contest. Whether Hynes was aware of this or not, it was a gutsy call and it ultimately paid off for them.
High Hopes but Realistic Expectations
Despite the Wild’s encouraging performances over the past five games, it still looks to be a long shot that they will make the playoffs. In a recent projection that laid out the odds of each team making the postseason, the Wild only had a 12% shot of making it. The report favored Vegas and Nashville maintaining their wild card positions throughout the handful of regular-season games remaining.
One major factor is that Vegas made some huge moves before the deadline, reeling in Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin after captain Mark Stone was placed on long-term injured reserve. Nashville also made some moves at the deadline, adding former Wild forward Jason Zucker to their lineup via a trade with the Arizona Coyotes. However, the Wild didn’t add any roster players at the deadline — instead electing to ship bottom-line players Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar, and Pat Maroon to make room for promising young talent, such as Marat Khusnutdinov.
While many Wild fans are hopeful the club can fight their way into a playoff spot, it’s also important have realistic expectations. The brunt of the scoring has primarily come from the top line, and there’s been virtually no offensive production from the middle six forwards to make the argument that the group could seriously hang with the likes of the Dallas Stars or Colorado Avalanche. While the goaltending has been solid over the past few games, it hasn’t been all that reliable throughout the season. The most successful teams in the postseason are typically those that have stellar goaltending — and the Wild just don’t right now.
Wild In Place to Make Huge Splash Next Season
The important thing right now is to ensure the roster pieces are in place for the Wild to make a huge splash next season. I’m certainly not a draft-oriented fan; I want to see Minnesota make a push for the postseason this year. However, it’s just as crucial to ensure players are getting ice time that could make the Wild a force next season. One major way the organization can do that is by getting Khusnutdinov on the ice and seeing what he can do.