The Minnesota Wild took on the Seattle Kraken in Seattle on Tuesday, Mar. 4, and were looking to extend their win streak to two games after beating the Boston Bruins 1-0 at home on Sunday, Mar. 2. They had the same lineup as Sunday except Ryan Hartman joined the lineup in his first game back after serving an eight-game suspension.
Filip Gustavsson was in the net for the Wild, and he stepped up numerous times throughout the game. The Wild jumped to an early lead, and at one point, they were up by three goals, but the Kraken fought back to get within one. The Wild managed to hang on and came out with the win 4-3. In this article, we’ll look at how they did it, starting with their depth scoring.
Wild’s Depth Scoring
The Wild’s second line of Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, and Frédérick Gaudreau made an impression as they had two of the Wild’s four goals and assisted on the first goal. They were consistently buzzing and had many chances besides their goals that didn’t go in throughout the night. The top line also had its chances, but that second line’s chemistry showed all night.
The Wild got a goal from Zuccarello and Gaudreau and their captain, Jared Spurgeon, who has managed to score goals at crucial times throughout the season. Their first goal of the game came from a player normally on the third line but also plays on the first power play unit, and that was Vinnie Hinostroza, who has been an absolute force since he joined the Wild. That goal was his fourth in eight games played, and hopefully, he can keep it up.
With the recent injury news to their star players, this is precisely the response the Wild needed to get things going in the right direction. They need their depth players to contribute points and that’s exactly what they got.
Wild’s Penalty Kill Chaos Continues
The Wild’s penalty kill looked like it was headed in the right direction, as it had a massive kill on their first penalty of the game. Gaudreau was a shining star all over the ice and stepped up big. When Jake Middleton broke his stick during the kill, Gaudreau gave him his stick, and even though it was the wrong hand, it still helped. Gaudreau continued to play his position, blocked a shot, and kept pressuring despite losing his stick, and Middleton also made an impact.
Their penalty kill communicated well and did everything to keep the puck out of the net. However, it faltered during the second penalty kill of the game as they left the weak side open, and the Kraken were ready to put the puck away. The Wild went 50 percent on the penalty kill as they killed one and then allowed a goal, which is something they’ll have to work on more going forward. It has improved over the last few weeks, however, so hopefully that will continue.
Wild Let Up
The Wild have gained leads in their games, but holding on to and protecting those leads has been the problem. They held on against the Bruins on Sunday, but against the Kraken, they started to let up. It nearly cost them the game as they allowed the Kraken to score back-to-back goals in the second period and came close to a third, but the Wild escaped the period with the lead.
Again, in the third period, the Wild gave the Kraken a lot of chances, but luckily for them, Gustavsson was ready to make the saves. He came up big when the Wild needed him, especially when they started to let up some. He allowed two goals then but locked down and made big saves after that.
The Wild have several flaws in their game that need to be addressed as the season’s final stretch arrives, but this is the biggest. They must find a way to play consistently and keep the puck out of their net without letting up. When they have a lead, they have to protect it, which means playing the same all the way through the game and digging deep to do that.
Wild Stay on Road
The Wild will have one more game on the road before they return home for an extended period. They’ll face the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, Mar. 7, and look to come home with four points. They’ll have to keep their foot on the gas as they take on the Canucks, get the first goal, protect it, and come home with the win. It won’t be easy, but they are capable of it, and hopefully, they can make it happen.
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