Article: Matt Boldy Hit Another Level In Game 3

[Tony Abbott]

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[Beast]

Boldy has some of the best hands in the world.  There’s very few guys that can manipulate the puck and get effective shots off in tight quarters like he can.  I’m not sure I’ve ever been as confident about a player burying a breakaway or an open shot in the slot area as I am with Boldy.  Just a remarkable, pure, elite scorer of the puck.

The most impressive part about what he’s doing, though, is in other areas.  He’s being prominently featured on the PK, he’s fore and back checking like a monster, he’s playing physical….his all around game is very impressive.  We’re seeing him take the step to being a superstar.

Im still not convinced they win the series.  We’ve seen the Wild take series leads multiple times, just to burn out and lose the series.  I’m concerned the goaltender switch will pay dividends for Vegas.  Hill was looking awful and giving up some softies.  If he was playing well, it’s a totally different series.  Vegas is still generating plenty of pressure, but Gus has been great.  I fully expect Vegas to come out and win game 4 and reclaim home ice, and that puts the Wild in a tough spot.  But, if the Wild can take game 4 I think they’ll pull it out.

At the end of the day, even if they lose the series, I’ll be happy with how they’ve played.  I didn’t expect them to push Vegas this much.  They’ve found something I didn’t think they would.  The one problem is there is no production outside of 2 players.  That’s just not sustainable.  But, it’s a great core to build around next year and gives them an opportunity to truly compete for a Stanley with some additions (Yurov, a big free agent signing, etc.).

Of course, if Gus, Boldy, and Kaprisov keep playing like this somehow, a run to the west finals might be in the cards.  Sign me up for that.  But, regardless, they’re ending the season showing some fortitude and fight that I wasn’t sure they had.