The Minnesota Wild were on game two of their three-game homestand when they played host to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday evening, Nov. 3. As the season continues, some games will be more of a test to see what this team can do, and this was one of those games. It was a close physical battle that showcased the talented players on both teams. The roster remained the same from their game Friday evening, Nov. 1, against the Tampa Bay Lighting. Even Jake Middleton was in the lineup after his wife gave birth to a baby girl the night prior.
The Wild also saw a familiar face in Ryan Reaves, who played for them just a couple of seasons ago. He was spotted chatting with Marc-André Fleury during warm-ups. The game had a lot of hitting, which the Wild haven’t had to deal with much yet this season. It seemed to catch them a little off guard, but they buckled down and got to business.
It took until overtime, but the Wild came out on top thanks to a strong defensive effort that led to a breakaway in the other direction. The Wild’s Matt Boldy scored the game-winning goal, and we’ll start this article by looking at the strong defensive effort that got them there.
Wild Stay Committed
It was an odd game with many tic-tac plays where the puck refused to stay on anyone’s sticks. As mentioned above, it was also a very physical game, and the Wild did return the physicality but stayed composed despite the flow seeming off. Regardless, the Wild stuck with their play even if they couldn’t get anything to go for them for extended periods.
The top line had some strong chances, as did the third and even the fourth, but the second line did struggle, which was noticed all around the rink. Boldy had some strong efforts throughout the game, but he also had some miscues. He kept at it and was rewarded in overtime when Jared Spurgeon cut off a Maple Leafs player heading for a breakaway and sent the puck up the ice to Marco Rossi.
Rossi and Boldy were breaking into the zone, and Rossi just tipped the puck to Boldy, who took it from there and secured the win. Boldy is one of those players who can step up when the pressure is on, and he did just that to score in this one. He didn’t try to get too fancy with the puck and overplay it; he just made a move and shot. Hopefully, the Wild can calm their play down for their next game, and they’ll get more chances.
Wild’s Gustavsson Confidence Continues
It feels like Filip Gustavsson has been talked about in every article for every game he’s played in, and it’s deservedly so. Except for a handful of goals this season that he maybe should’ve stopped, he’s been playing so strong this season. He played decently last season, but this season, he looks like a new goaltender with a confidence level above his years.
He was one of the primary reasons the Wild forced overtime and eventually won the game. When his team made defensive miscues in front of him, he was ready to make the big save, and if he gave up a rebound, he was ready to stop that as well. Even after getting scored on shorthanded, he didn’t allow it to mess with his mental game; he stayed strong.
Gustavsson has proved himself worthy of the starting role, and hopefully, each of these wins will add to his confidence level. He’s being more aggressive in plays, helping his defense, and making the big stops when they need him to.
Wild Need to Improve Penalty Kill
Their first penalty kill of the game is something every penalty kill should look like. Despite a few good chances for the Maple Leafs, the Wild were dropping down on nearly every shot to try to get blocks. Jonas Brodin was constantly following the puck and trying to get in the path every chance he could, including swinging his stick incredibly fast to get into the passing lanes, and it worked.
Their second penalty kill looked to be going the same way, but they missed a pass across the middle of the defensive zone, leaving Nylander wide open for a clean shot to the net, which shouldn’t have happened. There were some great things about their penalty kill, but they need to continue to improve it. They can’t continue to allow goals to be scored when they go on the penalty kill.
While the penalty kill has been under immense scrutiny, so has their power play, which came up empty for the second straight game. They had three chances and even a four-minute power play that saw some strong looks, but they couldn’t convert. They are starting to fall into their familiar pattern of passing the puck too often.
It’s great that they want to find that perfect play, but they need to do so a little quicker and not allow the defense to set up. Hopefully, this is short-lived, and they can get back to scoring goals while on the man advantage because they have the talent to do so.
Wild Stay Home
The Wild will finish their three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, November 5. They’ll see another former Wild player in Kevin Fiala and goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who was with the team quite a while ago. The Wild will need a quick start in that game and get the early jump because the Kings are another team that will put them to the test. Hopefully, they’ll be able to score on their power play chances and stay out of the box to put another win on the board.