By Chris Schad -
Last weekend, the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche. Defeating one of your biggest divisional rivals that entered the game on a double-digit winning streak is enough reason to play Shout as loud as the sound system at Grand Casino Arena can handle. The win also punctuated a strong month of November, where the Wild were the hottest team in hockey.
After losing to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime the following night, the Wild finished November with an 11-1-2 record. The memories of a rough October were firmly in the rear-view mirror, and Minnesota put itself into playoff position by American Thanksgiving and did so with a six-point buffer over the Chicago Blackhawks entering Tuesday night’s action.
As many fans love to say, the Wild are back. But it also feels like they’ve been here before. The Wild have made a habit of winning games in November, but the biggest challenge is to keep it going as the season heads into the coldest months.
Wild seasons follow a certain script. They stumble out of the gate, they get hot around Thanksgiving, and even out after it before turning it on to earn a playoff spot in the final three months of the season.
The numbers check out when combing through Minnesota’s history. According to Statmuse, the Wild have posted their second-highest winning percentage (.506), the second-most wins (150), and the third-highest point percentage in November. While their lowest winning percentage comes in March, their December and January winning percentages are slightly higher, with October right below.
That excludes May, which has a seven-game sample size, but it shows the pattern the Wild have followed. Even last year’s team couldn’t avoid the spring slide. After racing out to the best record in hockey at the beginning of December, Minnesota went into a tailspin after losing Kirill Kaprizov after Christmas. After going 8-6-0 in January, the Wild went 10-10-2 in February and March, dealing with several injuries and overall fatigue following the 4 Nations Tournament.
The Wild recovered to earn a playoff spot with a 4-2-1 record in April, but it left them in the same position: on the road in the playoffs, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
Still, fans don’t want to hear about the past. They want to know if this year’s team can buck the trend. While it’s a challenge that the Wild haven’t been able to pass in recent years, there are several things in their favor.
The first is goaltending. Jesper Wallstedt has become one of the best stories in the NHL in November, posting a 6-0-0 record and a .967 save percentage to earn Rookie of the Month honors. Filip Gustavsson has also recovered from a rough October to post a 5-1-2 record and a .923 save percentage in eight starts.
Goaltending is fickle, and goalies experience highs and lows throughout a season. But at this point of the year, the Wild have two solid options to choose from, which could be a massive benefit as Minnesota gets deeper into the season.
The Wild also has a team that appears to be getting better as the season comes along. Mats Zuccarello and Nico Sturm's return has led to wins, but so has the development of a young core that includes Danila Yurov and Zeev Buium.
If there’s an area to nitpick, it’s the Wild’s offense. But even then, they have two strong goal scorers in Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. If Minnesota can get someone on the lower lines to join the party – or make a big trade to increase their scoring depth – it could give them the look of a playoff contender long after the last plate of Thanksgiving leftovers has been heated up.
The Wild will also have to stay healthy and hope that the team doesn’t run into the same 4 Nations lull after the Olympic break in February. But while fans could be skeptical about a strong November, they’ve put themselves in a position to buck the trend and make their games matter as they trend toward the middle months.
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