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.
“I think we just gotta ride the highs and the lows of the game and just be even keel, I think that’s something we’ve done a good job of all series, just staying with our game no matter what’s going on in it so that’s just something we have to continue here tonight,” said Spurgeon to the media ahead of Game 6 and he continued with what he’s learned about the group, “I think just the way we can keep our composure throughout, no matter who was in the lineup or who was out of the lineup, I thnk we had the same mindset going in to every single game with the way we wanted to play and just the process we went through and it helps you grow for times like these.”
Wild Aren’t the Same Team From Years Past
Once the Wild lost Game 5, many posts on social media were along the lines of how they’ll roll over and lose Game 6 like in years past. However, this is not the same team that lost those past playoff series; this is an entirely different team with a different mindset. It’s important to note that their losses in Games 4 and 5 were overtime, not blowout losses where the other team ran them over. The teams from years past, while competitive, didn’t have the same belief that this season’s team does.
As soon as the Wild lost their top players for a considerable amount of time, they could’ve let it affect their game and just given up, but they didn’t. This team pushed and pushed to give themselves a chance to make it here. While they have had their fair share of struggles, they made it through, and they aren’t about to let it get away easily.
“Yeah, it’s us, it’s the Minnesota Wild that can deal with this stuff. I mean, we’ve been on 12-day road trips ten times, it feels like this year. Just the crap that we’ve had to deal with, and we’re made for it. The pesky Wild will persevere in this case, and we have a really good mindset coming into Game 6, and I mean nothing’s been easy this year. I know our slogan is “Hard,” but it’s just meant to be. I truly believe that we can get back in the series and win it, and so does everyone in that room. We joked if we win tomorrow and Game 7, we go on an eight-day road trip right away so we’re like just bring it on, we’ve been through so much crap already, just keep it going, so we feel good,” said Marcus Foligno the day before Game 6.
Wild Can Force Game 7
The Wild have what it takes to win Game 6, force Game 7, and win the series. They know what they have to do, and they’ll be in front of their home crowd to give them a little bit more motivation to get it done. Hopefully, the Wild can continue to play like they have been but find a way to come out on top to extend their postseason to Game 7.
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