Minnesota Wild’s Self-Belief Can Lead to Game 6 Win

It’s been a hard-fought series from the beginning, and now the Minnesota Wild have to win to extend their season against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6. They fell in Game 1, but then won Games 2 and 3. However, they then lost in Games 4 and 5. Now they have to fight to keep their postseason alive, but they get to do so in front of their hometown crowd, who have shown up in full force. 

At the beginning of the playoffs, many expected the Golden Knights to run away with this, but the Wild had other ideas. They came out in Game 1 like a whole new team with speed, skill, and an effort that impressed many. They are playing like the team everyone hoped would show up, but wasn’t sure if they could after dealing with the injury issues this season. The Wild have shown they can win Game 6 and possibly the series. We’ll take a look at how they can get through this, starting with the faith in their roster.

Wild Have Belief

This entire season, the Wild have consistently stated that they believe in their team and, no matter who suits up on any given night, they have each other’s backs. Many teams are like this, but when the Wild lost their key players and new guys came in, they stepped up to support them, rather than viewing them as temporary replacements until their leading players returned. This team is a team all the way through, and they believe in everyone in that room. 

It’s been the main storyline all season of how the Wild have gone through so much, and that’s how they’ve been able to continue to push through when other teams would’ve failed. That belief has held throughout the season, and it’s grown stronger as the postseason has gone on. 

“Yeah, I feel like we’ve prepared for it the entire year, obviously going through injuries as well, going through it with key guys out of the lineup but like you said going down the stretch there, they’re big games for us and sort of have to get our game in order right from there but we’re looking forward to tonight too. Obviously, coming home in front of our home fans is awesome, so yeah, just looking forward to it,” said Jared Spurgeon in media availability before Game 6. 

Wild Need to Play Their Style 

Another thing that has been stressed this whole season is that the Wild have a particular style they thrive in, and they can’t allow the other team to get in their heads and change it. They’ve done a pretty good job of keeping their heads in the game and not letting their emotions get out of hand one way or the other. If they score a goal, they celebrate but immediately return to their “business-like” style because they know they still have a game to play. The same can be said when they allow a goal. 

Composure has been a big key to this team, and they know it, which is how they’ve gotten this far. They know what needs to be done and they have a plan to do it, but they also won’t let themselves get rattled if things get dicey. Hopefully, they can make it happen and force Game 7.