The Minnesota Wild were looking to build on their recent win over the St. Louis Blues when they took on the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, Nov. 21. It was game two of three on the road, and Marc-André Fleury got the start. It was a back-and-forth, tense game that included a few odd goals, but the Wild came out on top.
After a rough start to the game with a fluke goal that got past Fleury, the Wild stayed strong and battled back. However, the Oilers weren’t ready to give up, and it was tight until the third period when the Wild pulled away. In this article, we’ll look at how the Wild secured the win, starting with how they found ways to score.
Wild Find Ways to Score
The Wild’s big guns on the top line started the scoring, but the rest of the lineup finished it. Marcus Foligno answered after the Wild got down early, only to have it waved off due to offsides. That only fueled the Wild’s drive even more, and Matt Boldy ripped off a shot to tie the game.
Foligno finally got the goal he was looking for, which also gave the Wild their first lead of the game. Then, it was Marcus Johansson’s turn to score his second goal of the season. After him, Frédérick Gaudreau scored his first goal of the game, and his second came later in the third period.
When the Wild’s top line has struggled to produce this season, others have stepped up to fill the void. Against the Oilers, even with the top line having success, others continued to score goals. Gaudreau, Johansson, and Foligno have all been on the quieter side when it comes to points this season, but they all found a way to step up in this win. Gaudreau had his second multi-point night of the season, and Ryan Hartman had his first.
Wild’s Resilience Wins Games
Apart from the number of players stepping up to provide offense, the Wild have won games by not letting anything bother them. As stated in many previous articles, the Wild used to allow even minor frustrations turn into big ones, which affected their game. This season, that’s been different, and they’ve managed to stay calm even in the toughest of situations.
Against the Oilers, Kirill Kaprizov took a hard hit that could’ve been catastrophic. While the Wild did respond with a fight, they stopped it after that and kept their heads focused on the scoreboard rather than getting even. The FanDuel Sports Network broadcast team of Anthony Lapanta and Wes Walz said throughout the night how the Wild never let anything bother them.
Many will notice a major key in the teams that make it far in the postseason: their composure is nearly impeccable. The Wild have already seen this pay off, and it also helps that they’ve been staying out of the penalty box. Hopefully, they can continue to play this way, and it’ll become more difficult for teams to affect them mentally.
Wild’s Power Play Still Quiet
The one downside about the Wild’s win is that they couldn’t find a way to make their power play produce. It’s the third game in a row that they’ve been held off the scoresheet on the man advantage. They only had one chance on the power play, and while they had some strong shots, nothing went in.
The Wild must find a way to get their power play back on track, as it’s another way to win games. While their power play hasn’t been key to their winning games, it’s a bonus when they can produce. Kaprizov has been doing everything possible to help his team win; it’s time for others to step up on the power play and help out.
Related: Wild’s Filip Gustavsson Has Cemented Himself as Team’s No. 1 Goalie
Joel Eriksson Ek and Marco Rossi have been held to just a couple of points each. Although Eriksson Ek has been injured recently, they need him to regain his power play magic. Rossi has shown much potential but hasn’t been able to convert. Hopefully, these two can find a way to produce and help lift some of the weight off Kaprizov’s shoulders while getting their power play back on track.
Wild Head to Calgary
The Wild will remain in Canada to finish up their road trip as they face the Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 23. It will be a tough game as the Flames have always played the Wild hard, and both teams have been playing winning hockey. Hopefully, the Wild can continue to build off these last two wins, get a jumpstart against the Flames, and come out with the win.
