By Chris Schad -
The vibes were high in St. Paul on Tuesday night. After rallying from a 2-1 deficit earlier in the night, the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks were in the closing seconds of overtime and virtually on their way to a shootout.
Brock Boeser’s shot on a 2-on-0 breakaway hit the post and landed on Marco Rossi's stick, leading to a 2-on-1 rush for Minnesota. After entering the zone, Rossi fed Kirill Kaprizov for the game-winning goal, sending “Shout” over the speakers of the Xcel Energy Center and prompting Jake Middleton to scream “2x4 Titty” in front of a sold-out crowd.
The win gave the Wild the best record in the NHL and gave fans the type of high reserved for the greatest teams in Minnesota sports history. Fast starts happen in sports, but it’s hard to believe the Wild has started this fast to open the season.
So, is the Wild’s process simply a dream year or part of Bill Guerin's process? You would have to go back in time to figure that out.
One year ago, Minnesota's vibes were not as high. They got off to a miserable start, and injuries piled up. The Wild fired Dean Evason after a 5-10-4 start. While they won their first three games under John Hynes, they still had an 8-10-4 record that virtually doomed their chances of making the playoffs.
When you look back at that roster, it’s virtually the same as what the Wild are trotting out now. The Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Foligno, and Ryan Hartman core gave Minnesota a veteran presence. Meanwhile, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, and Kaprizov briefly became the NHL's top-scoring line in early February. Still, it felt like something was missing.
One of the biggest areas for the Wild’s demise was their defense. Jared Spurgeon’s collection of shoulder, hip, and back injuries ended his season after 16 games, and Jonas Brodin spent time on and off the injury list. The injuries propelled Brock Faber into a top-line role, and Middleton was inconsistent without him.
There were also issues with the Wild’s goaltending. According to NHL Edge's metrics, Filip Gustavsson was a below-average goaltender, and Marc-Andre Fleury couldn't carry the load at this stage of his Hall of Fame career.
Then there was the bottom six, which did not come as advertised. People criticized Guerin for the long-term extensions that locked up Zuccarello, Foligno, and Hartman, and other players such as Gaudreau and Marcus Johansson didn’t provide the depth the Wild needed to keep up.
But that's where the process began. Entering his first offseason as head coach, Hynes fired Darby Hendrickson and replaced him with Jack Capuano to improve their special teams. Hynes urged Gustavsson to get in shape even as his name was floated in trade rumors.
Hartman suggested that the Wild weren’t a team that was hard to play against as he packed up his locker. Foligno and Spurgeon were among many players going into the summer looking to heal from a tough year physically.
In terms of personnel, the Wild aren’t much different than they were one year ago. Outside of Yakov Trenin and Jakub Lauko, Guerin couldn't do much on the free agent or trade market due to salary cap penalties from the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts. Even a rumor of acquiring Patrik Laine didn’t come to fruition partly because the Wild needed the Columbus Blue Jackets to retain his salary in any trade, eventually leading Laine to land in Montreal.
Training camp was filled with the rhetoric you hear in all sports. Everyone is rejuvenated and in the best shape of their life. However, Guerin caught everyone's attention when he suggested that Boldy could become a 50/50 player. However, there were several steps the Wild took to become a contender, and they started when the regular season began.
Some of the improvements for the Wild were expected. Kaprizov had always been known as an elite player, but he’s reached another level this season. With Tuesday’s game-winning goal, he’s tied for the league lead in points with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.
But Kaprizov wasn’t the issue; he’s had elite seasons before. The bigger problem is that he didn’t have much help until this season.
Boldy was given high expectations at age 23, but he’s done his best to fulfill them. His passing remains the best part of his game with 13 assists, but he’s added a scorer’s touch with 11 goals in his first 25 games. Boldy still has goal outages that occasionally plague him – he has one goal in his last nine games – but it hasn’t hurt the Wild largely because of the unsung players who are stepping up.
Rossi has 20 points, with 10 coming in the third period or overtime. Zuccarello had 14 points in 16 games before an errant Faber slapshot sidelined him. Gaudreau has 14 points as a fourth-line penalty killer, and Middleton has five goals and 13 points in what has become a breakout year.
Outside of Rossi and Zuccarello, you probably couldn’t see your favorite fourth liner becoming a force. But you could see a return to health that allows Foligno and Spurgeon to play more often, which has helped the Wild regain their toughness.
The Spurgeon and Brodin reunion on the top line has gone to plan, allowing Faber to pair with Middleton on the second line. Having two solid lines has helped the Wild defense rank fourth in expected goals against this season. The Zach Bogosian and Declan Chisholm third pairing has also played well enough to be serviceable on the back end.
Minnesota has defensive depth after acquiring former top-five pick David Jiricek on Saturday. While the 21-year-old isn’t a finished product, he can serve a purpose in the short term, refining his game while stepping in if an opportunity arises.
This has helped Gustavsson have a bounce-back year, during which he’s leading the league in save percentage (.929) and goals-against average (2.04). However, it’s been more than just the defense doing the heavy lifting.
Among NHL Edge’s metrics, Gustavsson ranks no lower than the 69th percentile in all but one of them. And even in that case, it’s something he can’t control. He ranks below the 50th percentile in goals for average (2.72).
Gustavsson’s resurgence also goes beyond the stats. He just looks calmer when floating around the crease. Opponents aren’t getting the juicy rebounds he allowed last season. While the defense helps, he’s doing his part by staying in control the entire game and eliminating some of the soft goals he allowed a year ago.
Looking at everything, this Wild team is a perfect storm that has surged to the top of the NHL standings. But it’s also a team that has gotten there by a defined process instead of a bouncing puck that lands on the stick of an MVP candidate.
The elephant in the room? Minnesota must still beat the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division. But the key part is that this process has put them in a position to end that narrative. There are still three-quarters of the season to go. However, any signs of adversity, whether trailing in a game or a critical injury, haven’t derailed Minnesota yet.
It’s why the Wild have gotten off to a dream start that could evolve into a dream season by the time they hit April.
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.
-
2
-
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.