By Luke Sims -
Delivering in big moments was not something Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy was known for heading into this season, let alone this postseason. Boldy is in the playoffs for the third time, and he has a lone goal and four points in 12 games.
Not exactly what you hope for with a top-line winger.
However, Boldy played well for Minnesota this year. The Milford, Mass. native led the team with 27 goals and 73 points. Given his lack of postseason success, the question entering the playoffs was whether Boldy would show up when it matters most.
That question now has an emphatic answer.
Yes.
“We’ve got to find a different gear,” Mats Zuccarello said. “We need everyone to play up to their standards, and maybe even more to be able to beat a team like that. We all believe in the group that we can do it, but we need everyone.”
Boldy has found that gear.
The Wild have only played two games at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against a bigger, faster, deeper, and more defensively adept Golden Knights team. Still, Boldy has three goals and one assist to lead the team in goals. Boldy is second on the team in points with four, only behind Kirill Kaprizov’s five points.
Boldy has had big goals and clutch moments in these playoffs. In Game 1, Boldy scored both goals to keep the Wild in the game. On Tuesday, he stretched the lead to two with a stellar pass from Kaprizov.
After Game 2, Boldy is the second player in Wild history to score three consecutive goals in the postseason. In 2003, Marian Gaborik scored three goals in Games 3 and 4 against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round.
Boldy has been a more aggressive and attacking player than we’ve seen in the past. His goals have come closer to the net, and he’s been unafraid to shoot the puck. Boldy has put his skill and size on full display in the playoffs and hasn’t been overwhelmed by the physical play.
He has been among the best players in the postseason, posting an average game score of 3.35, which ranks 8th best among every skater who has stepped on the ice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boldy has complemented Kaprizov on the Wild’s top line, which Joel Eriksson Ek centers. That makes the Wild essentially a one-line team, with their three best offensive drivers loaded up on one line.
Boldy has been responsible defensively. He leads the forwards in time on ice with 21:40 a night and a +4 rating. John Hynes has also frequently matched him up with Vegas’s top line. At the end of Game 2, the Boldy-Ek-Kaprizov line was out there with Vegas’s net empty.
In Year 2 of a seven-year, $49 million extension, Boldy is proving in front of everyone’s eyes that he was worth the money and can be the Robin to Kaprizov’s Batman.
The Wild are no longer a one-horse team in the playoffs. In years past, if the opposing team could stop Kaprizov, it was game over for the Wild because they couldn’t score. Now, even with the focus of the Vegas defense on Kaprizov, they haven’t been able to stop Boldy.
Minnesota would not be alive in this series without Boldy. The Wild hoped Boldy could shake off his past playoff performances and enter the season ready to deliver.
That’s exactly what he’s done.
All stats and data via HockeyDB, Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, Hockeystatcards.com, Moneypuck.com, and CapWages unless otherwise noted.
Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.
-
5
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.