By Clay Gregory -
The NHL season has just begun, and the Minnesota Wild faithful are frustrated after an opening night victory followed by back-to-back overtime losses. A 2-2 start is not the ideal way to open the season, but there are reasons to be optimistic for this season.
Let’s start with the bad. They should have beaten the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, and it never should have gone to a shootout. I will not blame the referees for that loss; the Wild’s defense should have been better in holding the lead when they were up 2-0 in the second period and 4-3 at 12:33 in the third period.
However, Minnesota’s game against the Winnipeg Jets featured a strong defensive effort, especially with captain Jared Spurgeon out with a lower-body injury. The offensive unit suffered a setback before the game when they announced Joel Eriksson Ek had broken his nose in the Seattle game.
The good news for the team is that the defensive unit will tighten up over the season, and the Wild should get their captain back soon, as they’ve listed Jared Spurgeon as day-to-day. The offensive firepower on this Wild team will have plenty of high-scoring games. They’ve also listed Eriksson Ek as day-to-day, and he will be a welcomed addition to the offense.
The NHL schedule makers did not do the Wild any favors. The team is now embarking on a seven-game road trip, which has only happened once, in 2018. Playing on the road in hostile environments is part of being a professional hockey player. Teams that take the challenges head-on and grow close as a unit by gaining points away from home are crucial to making the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Message boards and comments on Wild social media accounts seem to have one thing in common: fans are screaming that the defense needs fixing. I can see certain areas where the defense will play too loose at certain times, which has come back to haunt the Wild, especially during the Kraken game.
I have complete faith in second-year coach John Hynes. His record throughout his career shows that his teams are competitive and often have good defensive units. A small sample size can lead to exaggerations of what a team has done well and what they struggle with. Hynes’ track record indicates he’ll quickly fix Minnesota’s early defensive woes.
With the best players on the planet playing in the NHL, there will be nights when offense is hard to come by. Low offensive scoring nights should be rare, with talented scorers like Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Ryan Hartman, and Marco Rossi on the ice. The power play is an area that I believe can improve from last season's 22.7%. Few teams in the NHL have scoring talent that can match up with the Wild when healthy.
After missing the playoffs last year, the Wild have lofty expectations for this season. Missing the playoffs can hurt their chances of signing their superstar Kirill Kaprizov to a contract extension. Previously, Kaprizov said that his No. 1 priority is winning. The State of Hockey deserves to have a franchise that consistently wins, and Wild owner Craig Leopold seems committed to making that a reality.
With Minnesota's slow start, we must be conscious of small sample sizes. For now, you need look no further than the Central Division standings.
The Dallas Stars are at the top, which is no surprise, given that they are one of the better teams in the league. The Colorado Avalanche sit at the bottom of the standings, winless with zero points. The Nashville Predators are right above them, winless with zero points. Those two teams will fight for the top spot in the central division this season.
Minnesota has played subpar this season but has four points already to show for it. These early season points are crucial for the long season and making the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Wild have two wins and two losses. In four games, they scored 12 goals and gave up 10. Minnesota has six points and will soon get key players back from injuries. I understand the frustration at specific parts of the team's play. My advice would be to keep the faith, Wild fans. The season is just starting, and this Wild team will compete for the Stanley Cup come playoff time.
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