Article: 3 Key Takeaways From Wild's Disheartening Overtime Game 4 Loss

[Thomas Williams]

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[Citizen Strife]

4th Takeaway: If you're Vegas, you can punch and trip Minnesota players in critical moments with impunity.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Wild still haven't lost a game due to 5v5 hockey. Vegas has scored 2 power play goals in both of their wins. Keep grinding and play more mistake free hockey. If the Wild didn't gift them game changing power play opportunities from high sticking penalties, they might have won the series in 4.

 

[greg]

It's always a shame that when the Wild lose part of the blame goes to the officials.  I'm not really disagreeing with it but we seem to have the mentality that if we lose it can't just be that we were beaten by a better team and nit by the officials.  I agree some of the callas and non calls were pretty egregious.    UT we sometimes over look some of the calls and non calls that favored the Wild.  However after watching the NHL playoffs around the league the game is becoming unwatchable in a large part to officiating.  The playoff philosophy of "let them play" is turning a great sport into a spectacle.   The sticks to the face and punches and players ripping off helmets and not getting penalized is disgraceful.  The announcers claims that this is playoff hockey adds to the lunacy. The NHL appears eager to return to the days of "goon " hockey.  The NHL on ice officials are certainly doing their part in degrading a great sport.  They are embarrassing.   The NHL should be embarrassed.

[OldDutchChip]

We're obviously big fans of Rossi here on this website, but it feels absolutely insane to have him down on the fourth line - some bigger than others 😉 i personally feel he is where he belongs.

To make the point even stronger, he's still scoring goals and impacting the game positively with fourth-line linemates and barely any minutes. 

it's more than goals. what positive impact besides scoring two goals has he brought? his overall play still does not merit a bump. would you put him over hartman? no i wouldn't. L4 is fine for him. trenin has been playing very good and him and braz allow rossi to be somewhat safe out there. we cannot afford to line him up on top lines. vegas has elite skill L1-4 - if Rossi is as you describe him - let him take the control of L4 and drive the results - this will be better for the team overall - and that always takes priority over individual results

the take-aways is that we should not have played zeev and should have added merrill in there. there needs to be a stability  and bogo's running to cover for the kid is not helping. we also need MJ back (yes we do).  

[SkolWild73]

2 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

We're obviously big fans of Rossi here on this website, but it feels absolutely insane to have him down on the fourth line - some bigger than others 😉 i personally feel he is where he belongs.

To make the point even stronger, he's still scoring goals and impacting the game positively with fourth-line linemates and barely any minutes. 

it's more than goals. what positive impact besides scoring two goals has he brought? his overall play still does not merit a bump. would you put him over hartman? no i wouldn't. L4 is fine for him. trenin has been playing very good and him and braz allow rossi to be somewhat safe out there. we cannot afford to line him up on top lines. vegas has elite skill L1-4 - if Rossi is as you describe him - let him take the control of L4 and drive the results - this will be better for the team overall - and that always takes priority over individual results

the take-aways is that we should not have played zeev and should have added merrill in there. there needs to be a stability  and bogo's running to cover for the kid is not helping. we also need MJ back (yes we do).  

I pretty much agree with you ODC.  Having Rossi and line 4 has been good for that line so not sure we need to shake it up.  Nojo back would help.  Maybe giving Rossi a couple of extra shifts would be helpful

[IllicitFive]

2 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

We're obviously big fans of Rossi here on this website, but it feels absolutely insane to have him down on the fourth line - some bigger than others 😉 i personally feel he is where he belongs.

To make the point even stronger, he's still scoring goals and impacting the game positively with fourth-line linemates and barely any minutes. 

it's more than goals. what positive impact besides scoring two goals has he brought? his overall play still does not merit a bump. would you put him over hartman? no i wouldn't. L4 is fine for him. trenin has been playing very good and him and braz allow rossi to be somewhat safe out there. we cannot afford to line him up on top lines. vegas has elite skill L1-4 - if Rossi is as you describe him - let him take the control of L4 and drive the results - this will be better for the team overall - and that always takes priority over individual results

the take-aways is that we should not have played zeev and should have added merrill in there. there needs to be a stability  and bogo's running to cover for the kid is not helping. we also need MJ back (yes we do).  

The only switch I would make is Rossi and Freddy. Freddy has 1 shot in 4 games. Maybe putting him between braz and trenin would afford him some chances with opened up space, and Rossi helping out Zucc to see if that line can get going, especially with MJ out. 

I am torn on Zeev myself, has he made some incorrect plays, yes, but Merril did too most of the season. To be fair, Merril was much better down the stretch. Zeev has also shown some flashes with his skating and puck movement, and isn't afraid of contact so far. A big issue was him sitting the whole OT time, Mids and Brodin had to be completely gassed, there is no way that is a better option than Zeev. I doesn't matter how good you are, if your legs go due to exhaustion it's over. If they would have played Merril in that situation then I agree with you that it would be better for the team overall, but that is a coaching error for the OT yesterday. 

[SkolWild73]

After calming down a bit now after yesterdays game I would like to add some positives.  Yes they were some questionable calls, but even so, we had our chances to win that game.  
 

1. Vegas needed a tackle on Hartman and a bank shot to get a goal
2. Trenin’s breakaway was inches from giving us the lead.  
3.  Although the first line didn’t score, they had their chances.  Kap was stopped on a one timer from what, 5 feet?  Ek almost ended it in overtime

4. We scored 3 goals without any points from Boldy and Kap.

A couple of missed clears, Boldy at the end of the 4 minute powerplay that led to the goal and Midds that led to the game winner.   Vegas seemed to get the breaks they needed and we did not.  

A couple days rest, let’s get game 5 and come back and close it out at home. 

[OldDutchChip]

6 minutes ago, IllicitFive said:

The only switch I would make is Rossi and Freddy. Freddy has 1 shot in 4 games. Maybe putting him between braz and trenin would afford him some chances with opened up space, and Rossi helping out Zucc to see if that line can get going, especially with MJ out. 

I am torn on Zeev myself, has he made some incorrect plays, yes, but Merril did too most of the season. To be fair, Merril was much better down the stretch. Zeev has also shown some flashes with his skating and puck movement, and isn't afraid of contact so far. A big issue was him sitting the whole OT time, Mids and Brodin had to be completely gassed, there is no way that is a better option than Zeev. I doesn't matter how good you are, if your legs go due to exhaustion it's over. If they would have played Merril in that situation then I agree with you that it would be better for the team overall, but that is a coaching error for the OT yesterday. 

oh right - freddy - i forgot he is not on the team.....maybe if MJ is back - you can scratch freddy?

i think you bring back merrill and let him play out the round - he earned it (Chissy too i guess) 

 

[OldDutchChip]

2 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

After calming down a bit now after yesterdays game I would like to add some positives.  Yes they were some questionable calls, but even so, we had our chances to win that game.  
 

1. Vegas needed a tackle on Hartman and a bank shot to get a goal
2. Trenin’s breakaway was inches from giving us the lead.  
3.  Although the first line didn’t score, they had their chances.  Kap was stopped on a one timer from what, 5 feet?  Ek almost ended it in overtime

4. We scored 3 goals without any points from Boldy and Kap.

A couple of missed clears, Boldy at the end of the 4 minute powerplay that led to the goal and Midds that led to the game winner.   Vegas seemed to get the breaks they needed and we did not.  

A couple days rest, let’s get game 5 and come back and close it out at home. 

ooh and i forgot braz getting raw deal on that breakaway! that's on refs right there! argh 💩

[TCMooch]

I hope Rossi tells this team to go fuck themselves and goes to a team that respects him for the top 6 Center he is

[OldDutchChip]

20 minutes ago, TCMooch said:

I hope Rossi tells this team to go fuck themselves and goes to a team that respects him for the top 6 Center he is

this is like santa barbara, let's start a fund me for rossi and pray for him

silly - just let the dude play - he is where he needs to be

[ArizonaWildFan]

Game 4 was a perfect opportunity for the Wild to put a boot on VGK's throat and they didn't. Year after year the mentality of playing sound, structured defense while waiting for offensive opportunities rather than creating offense has been the demise of the Wild in the playoffs.

Gus has been very good in the first four games and has had to be. Can you imagine if Hill and Gus would have been playing for the opposite teams? Vegas would have swept the series with Gus in net and the Wild would have set a record for goals against in a four game series.

The best defense is a good offense. Having one scoring line (KK, Ek and Boldy) doesn't cut it in the playoffs. Rossi, Hartman, Zuccarello are proven scorers. Put them on a line together. I'm just guessing, but Rossi probably has nearly as many goals this season as Trenin, Brazeau (since coming to the Wild), Nyquist (since coming to the Wild), Gaudreau and Johansson combined.

As far as Buium, I get why the Wild have handled his situation the way they have so far. The Wild are playing the fourth line limited minutes and piling up minutes on the top two defensive pairs. Why not run 11 and 7 and bring Merrill in to eat some minutes that Buium isn't ready for yet? Double a few of the forwards on the fourth line with Trenin and Brazeau.

A loss in Vegas on Tuesday night will be the beginning of the end for this version of the Wild, deja vu all over again, up 2-1 in a playoff series and getting eliminated after losing three straight. Flip the script, Boys!

[RedLake]

Don't worry the Bettman Rainbow show will be in the Conference Final. 

[Skomonkey]

Having watched most of the playoff games it does seem the officials are allowing almost anything but high sticks and some blatant trips. Which is why the slashing penalties the Wild have been called for are a head scratcher. 
 

I too believe the NHL ultimately wants VGK to advance for ratings. The Wild continue to play their game and they will win. We have been a much better road team all year so I don’t worry about home ice. 
 

True, Rossi has scored 2 goals. He’s been pulled because he loses every face off and he gets outplayed and outmuscled on the boards and is always chasing his guy in the D zone. He’s a liability in playoff hockey. 
 

he’s come a long way in 2 years and has scored a lot of key goals. I would go 11/7 and play Rossi on a wing and have Merril available for some shifts. 
 

if Middleton flips the puck the right way there is no goal. He was tired and have 6 D you can count on is necessary with the physical play of the playoffs. 

[mnfaninnc]

4 hours ago, Skomonkey said:

I too believe the NHL ultimately wants VGK to advance for ratings.

This is kind of a funny statement. I was listening to the promo on NHL radio yesterday, and for a national promo, they were plugging Kaprizov and the Wild vs. VGK. 

I'll remind everyone, I am in the Canes market, so this was a national promo, not a regional one. The NHL likes to market Kaprizov as an exciting player to watch. So why would they favor Vegas?

Interestingly, I also share Skomonkey's feelings here too, I do think there is bias against the Wild. I think the Wild need to change that narrative. But as far as the NHL is concerned, Wild country is fly over country.

[mnfaninnc]

I haven't yet been able to watch the game. It sounds like I might get a bit frustrated with officiating. I plan to watch this afternoon when it becomes available....and so do I. 

From the results, all I can think of is "here we go again."

[Pewterschmidt]

23 hours ago, greg said:

It's always a shame that when the Wild lose part of the blame goes to the officials.  I'm not really disagreeing with it but we seem to have the mentality that if we lose it can't just be that we were beaten by a better team and nit by the officials.  I agree some of the callas and non calls were pretty egregious.    UT we sometimes over look some of the calls and non calls that favored the Wild.  However after watching the NHL playoffs around the league the game is becoming unwatchable in a large part to officiating.  The playoff philosophy of "let them play" is turning a great sport into a spectacle.   The sticks to the face and punches and players ripping off helmets and not getting penalized is disgraceful.  The announcers claims that this is playoff hockey adds to the lunacy. The NHL appears eager to return to the days of "goon " hockey.  The NHL on ice officials are certainly doing their part in degrading a great sport.  They are embarrassing.   The NHL should be embarrassed.

This is a solid take by greg.  I also get tired of the constant "the league hates MN", "the refs are against us" tinfoil hat crowd.

Re: the league letting them play in post season is related to an evolution of what sports fans want today.  in this age of UFC cage fighting, NFL glorifying the slobberknocker hit, and NASCAR fans waiting for the firey crash I think the NHL is just catering to the 2025 sports fan.  

I don't mind.  I'm glad the league is no longer a clutch and grab, obstruction/interference league so that the skilled players get to shine.  But I don't mind a little Escape From Thunderdome Chaos (TM) from period to period.

#deepthoughtMondaymornign

[Scalptrash]

Vegas' size, strength, and endurance finally wore the Wild down in game 4. The accumulative hits and outmuscles have taken their toll on the Wild's smaller forwards and I suspect they are all tired and sore by this point. Same thing that happened against St. Louis and Dallas, so expect the same result. 

[Scalptrash]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

So why would they favor Vegas?

Interestingly, I also share Skomonkey's feelings here too, I do think there is bias against the Wild. I think the Wild need to change that narrative. But as far as the NHL is concerned, Wild country is fly over country.

You know that Vegas is the gambling capital of the world, right? The further Vegas makes it, the more money everyone makes.

But then you contradict yourself and say there is a bias against the Wild and it's flyover country so no one cares.

Once you realize that all pro sports are tainted, to some degree, then bad or missed calls (on the regular), are easier to swallow. The Wild will not be allowed to win the cup until there is a team worth marketing. That will never happen until they have someone like Bedard or Celebrini (Kaprizov and Boldy aren't popular or good enough). The owner is perfectly content maintaining status quo indefinitely (why did he sell the Preds just to buy the Wild?). As long as seats are being filled, nobody cares.

[Enforceror]

6 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

The owner is perfectly content maintaining status quo indefinitely (why did he sell the Preds just to buy the Wild?). As long as seats are being filled, nobody cares.

I completely disagree with this. There is no way you own a team and don't care if they ever get a cup. Wouldn't there be more money, legacy, pride, etc. to be had if you can snag a cup? I understand the frustration in that we haven't made it far in the playoffs but to just assume we will never get there....what's the point in even being a fan?

[Scalptrash]

27 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

I completely disagree with this. There is no way you own a team and don't care if they ever get a cup. Wouldn't there be more money, legacy, pride, etc. to be had if you can snag a cup? I understand the frustration in that we haven't made it far in the playoffs but to just assume we will never get there....what's the point in even being a fan?

Leipold's goal, no matter who his GM is, has always been, "just make the playoffs". It's never been, "Stanley Cup or bust". He has told Guerin every season, "we are NOT going to rebuild, we are going to win now". Teams cannot win a cup that way. Filling your roster with aging veterans is not the key to success.

Guerin gets offended every time a reporter asks him about a first round exit. Why? Because he did exactly what he was told to do, therefore he succeeded in his job. 

The best and most consistent revenue stream is having butts in seats for every game, a rebuild would not maintain that. There has never been a more perfect opportunity to rebuild the team over the last three years with the cap constraints. The roster could have some serious top six talent had they chosen to do that. With the way next year's cap money has already been managed, they will only be able to afford one new top six forward and they won't be a star.

EDIT: ultimately a replacement for Rossi, at this point, and they won't produce as many points.

Edited Monday at 05:31 PM by Scalptrash

[raithis]

3 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

This is kind of a funny statement. I was listening to the promo on NHL radio yesterday, and for a national promo, they were plugging Kaprizov and the Wild vs. VGK. 

I'll remind everyone, I am in the Canes market, so this was a national promo, not a regional one. The NHL likes to market Kaprizov as an exciting player to watch. So why would they favor Vegas?

Interestingly, I also share Skomonkey's feelings here too, I do think there is bias against the Wild. I think the Wild need to change that narrative. But as far as the NHL is concerned, Wild country is fly over country.

The NHL ultimately wants viewership.  That sounds like nothing more than the NHL trying to get people outside of the region to be interested in the game.  It doesn't mean that they don't have a bias for Vegas to win. 

Ultimately the teams that will draw the most ratings and sports betting will make the league the most money as a result.  Any bias they would have would then naturally be for those teams that will generate the most money for the league - and I'd think that Vegas probably generates far more money for the league than MN does.

When they play national commercials related to team apparel, I never see anyone wearing Wild gear.  I do see Vegas though.  In fact, I don't think I've ever not seen Vegas in those ads since they've been in the league (even before they won the cup).  The same goes for other ads that feature highlight-reel goals.  The Wild are never there either.  They choose the teams in those ads that they think will excite fans or make new ones, and it's pretty telling when the Wild don't show up in those.

Yes, the Wild hasn't won a cup, but while many of those teams have won several cups or have won one recently, some of the teams in those ads either haven't ever won a cup at all or have had a losing record for a while now.  The Wild are an afterthought to the NHL. 

That's also why we generally get late starts for playoff games.  Even when we played Dallas, we got later starts than some of the West Coast teams.  We simply don't make the league as much money as other teams.

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, Scalptrash said:

You know that Vegas is the gambling capital of the world, right? The further Vegas makes it, the more money everyone makes.

But then you contradict yourself and say there is a bias against the Wild and it's flyover country so no one cares.

You're right, but to be fair, I didn't call it flyover country, I said the NHL considers it flyover country. Vegas may be the gambling capital of the world, but that doesn't apply to VGK, that applies to all the teams including the ones playing VGK. I think it has weakened some with the online betting now becoming popular, but the fact remains, it's still King.

This is why I stressed that we must change the narrative. So, what can be done? We need to become more interesting!

1. Switch the jerseys to something flashy. '78s & '80s would suffice. 
2. Have players with more skill. They're coming.
3. Get attention. I will add that sometimes bad attention is better than no attention at all.
4. Put on the absolutely best fan experience in the league. 
5. It won't happen in the playoffs, but a couple of meltdowns will help. Meltdowns always draw attention, but they also make a lot of work for officials who keep overlooking pretty basic calls.
6. A better marketing campaign that reaches internationally. 

And, now that I've watched the game there were 2 missed calls that were glaring. The first was the offside called on Breezers when he was clearly onside. How you miss a size 18 skate is beside me.

The 2nd was the Hertl takedown of Hartman who skated him to the middle of the ice before dropping him. The way the VGK player shot the puck looked like this was a designed play. Anyone who has read my comments knows I will complain about officials win or lose.

Vegas upped their intensity and desperation. It is now up to the Wild to up theirs. I'll be honest, I am doubtful that they can. I think they are playing about as good as they can play, except for the 1st line. I think they can even go higher. 

I believe that Shooter has told Heinzy that Buium is playing this series. I don't think that is Heinzy's choice. That was a brutal, careless high stick on Stone. However, I also did not like Spurgeon on the OT PP. We've got to fix this. Buium has been OK on the PP so far, just OK. He has been hidden and it's clear he's the #6 defender. He's got a lot to learn and some filling out and strength building to do. He's also got some details that he could always get away with before but won't work here. Keep coaching him up and giving him chances. I realize he's only 19, and some of this will happen organically, but we need it now. 

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, raithis said:

When they play national commercials related to team apparel, I never see anyone wearing Wild gear.  I do see Vegas though.  In fact, I don't think I've ever not seen Vegas in those ads since they've been in the league (even before they won the cup).  The same goes for other ads that feature highlight-reel goals.  The Wild are never there either.  They choose the teams in those ads that they think will excite fans or make new ones, and it's pretty telling when the Wild don't show up in those.

This is right in the wheelhouse of my last comment. Flash!

The Wild need an organizational makeover, and a big part of it is presentation. Maybe rebranding is a better term. The skill is in the pipeline and we will get some help next season on an ELC with Yurov. But, would you want to advertise those really boring, dated green and red jerseys? 

I hear the audio on the tv, for the most part it's mailed in. The broadcasts are pretty similar except I think this year they pushed the player interview back. We can be better. We can be more exciting. But the business side of the team is missing tremendous opportunities. 

Everything should be fresh, and that doesn't take a $700 million renovation. Like it or not, this product presents itself as stale, and it must be fixed. The '78s & '80s scream flash. and will do the same. Don't like copying the North Stars? Fine. Go with a purple and turquoise in the '78s or '80's style. The man-bear-pig logo needs updates too! This is all stuff Guerin now is in charge of. But, he's not a multi-tasker so he'll need some help.