Minnesota's Fourth Line Has Developed An Identity

As February commences, teams are gearing up for their playoff runs. The Minnesota Wild sit third in the Central Division and are still 7 points clear of the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card spot. 

While Minnesota’s playoff spot is relatively secure, it’s undoubtedly more precarious than earlier in the season. Injuries to stars like Kirill Kaprizov have left the team looking for answers on how they can hold onto their spot in the postseason despite a lack of roster depth. 

Minnesota needs to win to secure its spot in the postseason, and a group of unlikely heroes has emerged. 

The Wild’s fourth line was crucial in some of their recent wins. Most notably, the line was perhaps the team’s best during their recent three-game win streak, which included victories over the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens. 

The Wild’s Fourth Line Is Developing An Identity

The Wild's depth scoring has been an issue this year. The bottom six haven't scored much for the team. Frederick Gaudreau is the unit's leading scorer, with only 23 points in 51 games. 

Still, a bottom-six can contribute in far more ways than their scoring. On many teams, the depth forwards are there to play low-event hockey, which is difficult for other teams to play against. 

The fourth line has been excellent at that role in recent games. Devin Shore, Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and Ryan Hartman (in the Chicago game) did an outstanding job driving play in the Wild's recent winning efforts. They play direct, fast, and physical hockey. 

John Hynes spoke to the media about the fourth line's efforts and how it contributes to the team's identity.

"It's nice that Lauko, Khusnutdinov, and Shore have been factors in the game. Just the energy, the competitiveness, the depth scoring that we're getting." Hynes said, "Those guys are really good players, but the fact that they're playing to the identity that they're playing with right now, that's truly what our team needs, right now and down the stretch."

The fourth line has been relatively quiet this year. However, their recent improved play has resulted in their offense finally picking up. Over the three games discussed, the line was in the top two producers for expected goals for in each matchup. 

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Minnesota Wild vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Minnesota Wild vs. Montreal Canadiens

If expected goals don't do much for you, the line's strong play also resulted in concrete production. Shore scored his first goal of the season against Montreal and added an assist in Toronto. Khusnutdinov scored his second goal of the year against the Maple Leafs. Lauko assisted on Kusnutdinov’s goal.

Playing competitive and direct hockey has produced results, and they have started driving winning. Given their recent lack of offense, the team needs the fourth line's low-event but fast and physical hockey. The fourth line’s play seems to fit into the defensive identity Hynes is developing in Minnesota.  

Khusnutdinov Rounding Into Form

While the fourth line has performed well in recent games for the Wild, Marat Khusnutdinov has been particularly encouraging. He was one of the Wild's more interesting prospects entering the season. The Russian center has been tasked with anchoring the bottom unit this season and has had mixed results. Fortunately, that is becoming a more consistent effort for the Wild's young forward. 

Khusnutdinov entered the season with high praise for his motor, skating speed, hockey IQ, and general competitive play. He'll likely always project as a bottom-six forward, but he should provide some offensive output while being defensively responsible and hard to play against. However, that offensive upside hasn’t manifested this year; he entered the Maple Leafs game with only one goal and three assists. 

Khusnutdinov's potential flashed against the Leafs when he scored the game's first goal on a tremendous forechecking play by the fourth line. Khusnutdinov showed his knack for being in the right spot when he found a soft spot on the ice and scored his second goal of the year. 

The Wild should expect more from Khusnutdinov. Still, his goal provides hope that his strong play lately could yield more positive results. John Hynes spoke to reporters about Khusnutdinov's recent run of good form.

"We needed more from throughout our lineup, and he certainly has the ability," Hynes said. "But [Khusnutdinov is] playing a more tenacious game, he's playing fast. He's harder on pucks. He's playing with a little bit of an edge to his game."

When Hynes talks about the fourth line's identity and playing with speed and competitiveness, that effort should fall on Khusnutdinov more than anyone else. The Wild are more committed to him than any other fourth-liner. 

Most fourth-line players are replaceable, but Khusnutdinov is a player they'll want to develop even further. Khusnutdinov's play has turned that line around, which is fantastic for the Wild. 

More Work To Be Done

Of course, things aren’t perfect with the Wild’s fourth line, and they’ll need to continue their success to contribute to a playoff run. While Minnesota’s three-game winning stretch ingratiated the fourth line among Wild fans, the team’s most recent game against the Ottawa Senators left a bad impression. 

No one on the Wild performed well, so you can’t blame the fourth line for a 6-0 shellacking. Still, Shore, Khusnutdinov, and Lauko had significant issues on the offensive end. Despite spending 6:31 on the ice, the line contributed 0.0 expected goals, meaning they did not commit a single action during their time that could hope to result in a goal.

If there are any positives we should take away from the performance, the line had the fewest expected goals against any line that played over two minutes. Still, the team performed poorly. The Wild must hope this was a blip on the radar and not a sign of things to come. 

Despite the bad game, the fourth line has contributed many contributions over the last several games. They play the way Hynes wants and are committed to the team's identity. 

The Wild will win games based on their best players’ performance. Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and players of that magnitude are far more vital to their success than the fourth-liners. Still, a strong depth unit can help build a team’s identity and contribute to wins on nights when Minnesota’s best players aren’t performing. 

If the Wild’s fourth line continues to play the same role they did during their three-game winning streak, it could play a crucial role going into the playoffs.