By Phillip Garrett -
The Minnesota Wild officially survived February, going 3-5-0. They started March with wins against the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken.
Minnesota’s last two wins have been a major relief because it had only managed to win one out of four games after returning from the 4 Nations tournament. It also didn’t help that the Boston Bruins had criticized their medical staff.
With Kirill Karpizov and Joel Eriksson Ek out for extended periods (again) and Jonas Brodin week-to-week, the Wild’s chances of having a stress-free final 20 games are slim. However, the Wild are where they need to be to find success; it’s just not evident yet.
With their strong start to the season and two recent wins, the Wild have kept the Avalanche out of reach of the third spot in the Central. As of this writing, the Wild sit two points above Colorado with the same games played. With a good run of games, Minnesota can hold its spot in the standings, but it won’t be easy.
The Avalanche are still an outstanding team, even without Mikko Rantanen. Still, Colorado has something the Wild lack right now: a superstar like Nathan MacKinnon.
However, the Wild may benefit from dropping in the standings. Minnesota is unlikely to exit the playoff picture, with the Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues being out of a wild-card spot with 67 and 66 points, respectively. While things could change, the Wild’s first-round matchup in the playoffs is likely to be the Dallas Stars or the Vegas Golden Knights.
Which is the lesser of two evils?
It’s hard to say, but the Golden Knights and the Stars are better teams than the Wild.
Still, the Wild have a long history with the Stars, so Dallas eliminating them in the first round again won't be great for morale. The Stars are also more challenging to score against than the Golden Knights; they sit 30th in goals against per game (GA/GP) with a 2.57 average.
Because of the Wild’s inability to score, they may want to play the Golden Knights in the first round. Therefore, dropping to the wild card may ultimately be advantageous.
The Wild have only played the Golden Knights once this season, losing 3-2 on December 15. However, there is still a strong chance that Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek will be healthy in time for the playoffs, and Minnesota is good when they're fully healthy. I’m not saying it will be easy, especially since the Golden Knights are a favored team to win the Stanley Cup. Still, the Wild have found ways to win against good teams like the Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, and Carolina Hurricanes.
No matter who the Wild play, they need Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov back to generate enough offense to advance in the playoffs. With the Wild’s limited cap space, Minnesota's trade deadline will likely be uneventful. Even if the Wild are buyers at the deadline, there’s no magical trade that will solve scoring troubles.
To put it into perspective, Matt Boldy has finally passed an injured Kaprizov as the leading point scorer. Boldy has 53 points in 63 games, while Kaprizov has 52 in 37 games and hasn’t played since January. The Wild don’t have enough offense to cover for sloppy defense. However, we have started to see what the Wild will look like by the end of the season, and I like what I see.
However, that doesn’t matter. Despite the Wild’s offensive struggles, they have found their play style with their new lines. They play close games, with the last two wins decided by a single goal. That is the best they’ll get with their current core, and it might be enough. The Wild need to win using defense and goaltending.
If the Wild can consistently keep the game close, they will always have a chance of winning. The team has all the pieces it needs, with players like Vinnie Histroza, Frederick Gaudreau, and Gustav Nyquist adding scoring depth. We have also seen Filip Gustavsson play confidently again, which must be a big part of this team's success.
There might not be a perfect scenario for the Wild and their hopes for a deep playoff run. No matter the opponent, Minnesota must outwork them. Still, they have enough talent in place to advance for the first time since 2014-15.
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.
-
1
-
1
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.