The Wild's Last Four Games Are A Microcosm Of Their Season

The Minnesota Wild entered the 4 Nations Face-Off break riding the high of beating the New York Islanders 6-3. They picked up that win 48 hours after topping the Carolina Panthers 2-1, a salve after the Boston Bruins (3-0) and Ottawa Senators (6-0) had shut them out.

Those four games were a microcosm of Minnesota’s season.

Looking for hope? Forget their 4-0 loss when Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon returned; remember their 3-2 overtime win in Dallas when they first learned Kaprizov had suffered an injury. Scrub those two losses to the Ottawa Senators and Utah Hockey Club from your memory banks. Bask in the glory of splitting games with the Edmonton Oilers and taking one from Paul Fenton’s Florida Panthers.

Take a huff of that sweet copium while pointing at the “days injured” sign. The Wild went from competing with the Winnipeg Jets for the division lead at Thanksgiving to staving off the Colorado Avalanche for third place in the Central. However, aside from a three-game stint at the end of January, Kaprizov played his last game two days before Christmas. 

Things will be better in the second half. Right?

“It’s a hard league,” Matt Boldy said after beating the Islanders. “It’s hard to get points. It’s hard to win. We’ve put ourselves in a good spot. [But a] lot of games left to kind of cement that spot and find our way into the playoffs.”

The NHL is a hard league, arguably the best in the world, and things are tight in the West. Winnipeg leads the conference with 82 points, and there’s a concentration of teams around the Wild (70). Dallas (72) edges them in the division. Edmonton (72) and the Vegas Golden Knights (72) are vying for the Pacific division title, and Colorado is pressing matters with 68 points in the top wild-card spot.

However, point differential is typically a telling number. Below, I’ve listed the Western Conference teams by point differential and how it correlates to their place in the standings.

• Winnipeg (+81; 1st in Central)
• Dallas (+43, 2nd in Central)
• Edmonton (+30, 1st in Pacific)
• Vegas (+30, 2nd in Pacific)
• Los Angeles Kings (+15, 3rd in Pacific)
• Colorado (+12, 1st Wild Card)
• Minnesota (+4, 3rd in Central)

Everyone else in the West enters the break with a negative point differential. The Vancouver Canucks are holding onto the second wild card spot with 63 points and a -11 point differential; the Calgary Flames (60 points, -17) are the first team out. 

Minnesota is the outlier in the list above. Dallas, Edmonton, and Vegas have 72 points, and the Kings trail the Oilers and Golden Knights with 65 points. However, L.A. has beaten the Wild twice and has a better point differential. 

Ultimately, the Wild have stayed in the mix despite Kaprizov only playing 37 games and injuries ravaging their defensive corps. Minnesota has played 56 games this season, and Spurgeon (41 games) and Jonas Brodin (34) haven’t been available. Jake Middleton has had a resurgent season, scoring seven goals in 45 games. However, injuries have also hampered him.

Kaprizov is Minnesota’s leading scorer with 52 points, but Boldy (48) and Marco Rossi (47) have been healthy and productive. The Wild also traded for David Jiříček, the sixth pick in the 2022 draft, who could bolster their defensive depth. The 21-year-old Czech defenseman looked good in his six-game stint after the trade.

“You can see the style of player he is,” Hynes said, marveling at the 6-foot-4, 204 lbs. blueliner’s willingness to compete defensively, at the net front, and in the corners.

Minnesota’s injuries are bad luck, but they may also be a product of roster construction. By extending Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman, and Mats Zuccarello, the Wild doubled down on veteran leadership but inherited injury risk. Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are young and in their prime. However, Spurgeon has an injury history. Zuccarello, 37, played 69 games last year. Hartman is serving a ten-game suspension for undisciplined play.

Karpizov is also the слон in the room. The Russian cherub is Minnesota’s leading scorer and is entering the final year of his contract next season. He drives the Wild’s offense in a way no other player can. Boldy has already scored 20 goals, but Kaprizov is on another level. Still, his absence may indicate that Minnesota’s roster is too dependent on one player.

Bill Guerin has vowed to build a competitive team around Kaprizov after buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. However, they haven’t gotten out of the first round and missed the playoffs last season. Minnesota’s buyout penalty eases next season. Will they break through in the postseason this year? Or will they wait until Parise and Suter’s money comes off the books?

Ultimately, it comes down to whether this team has shown enough to inspire hope for Minnesota’s final 26 games of the season.