The Minnesota Wild took on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday evening, Oct. 30, in the middle of their six-game homestand. They were looking to bounce back after another rough overtime loss, this time to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Their injury list remained the same, and Filip Gustavsson was in the net once again.
The game started out in favor of the Wild for the first time since Oct. 18 in their overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. However, it wouldn’t last as the Penguins tied it up in the second period and then stormed back with three straight goals in the third to take the win 4-1. In this article, we’ll look at some takeaways from the game, starting with their lead.
Wild Get First Lead & Can’t Hold
For the first time in nearly two weeks, the Wild got on the board first and didn’t have to chase. They weren’t out of the woods by any means, as the Penguins fought back, but the Wild had a little more energy knowing they had the lead. Despite the added energy a lead gives, they couldn’t hold as the Penguins started to push back with the style they’re used to playing, and the Wild weren’t ready for it.
“I think fragile is not a good word. I think it comes down to consistency in our game and… a lot of it comes into…why did we get outskated, why did the first period we were winning a lot of faceoffs, and then we didn’t win any faceoffs the second half? Typical little things, we lose a faceoff and then you have the box out,” said John Hynes when asked about how the team may be in a fragile mindset right now with these losses.
“It’s not about being fragile, it’s about doing the right things, and it’s about having some toughness to you and digging in, and understanding when we’re in those situations, they matter. It’s not about being fragile, it’s about digging in and competing…” Hynes continued about how they have to be better and find ways to dig in.
Wild’s Gustavsson Not at Fault
While Filip Gustavsson wasn’t overly peppered with shots throughout the game, there were several breakaways that he had to be ready for, and he was. Several turnovers led to the breakaways, but Gustavsson made the saves and kept his team at one point in the lead, and then later kept the game tied, up until the third period. Even in the third, he made some big saves, but his defense unfortunately wasn’t there for him.
Are there some goals Gustavsson wants back, of course, but he also needs to have his defense in front of him blocking shots, and doing the things they need to do to help him out. He made the saves on the breakaways and did what he needed to do, but it wasn’t enough as the Penguins stormed back.
“Yeah, the first period was great, we did what we should do, and then the second period started drifting away a little bit, and we talked about it as you said, win one period and that’s it. They got the first goal there, and then we kinda fell apart a little bit,” said Gustavsson about the start of the game up to the end.
Wild “Need to Just Do It”
For some reason, the Wild’s performance against the Winnipeg Jets was not present past the first period of their game against the Penguins. They had some of the same energy and aggressiveness, but it slowly went away as the game went on. The players went back to making the same mistakes, and it seemed like their effort disappeared.
“We gotta suck it up and just play the next game, and like I said, I don’t have an answer for you guys, it’s more of just like we gotta do it. I mean, action speaks, so it’s more just, it’s not even about gripping the stick at all it’s actually just about getting your head right for a period where it’s like you know what this is three guys on a line, this is what we have to play tonight and this is how we’re goint to do it for a full 60 and for some reason we’re letting the frustration creep in our game,” said Marcus Foligno when asked how they get headed in the right direction.
Related: Wild Need to Focus on Positives & Negatives to Win Games
The Wild have had small spurts of showing they can play the way they need to, but then it goes away as quickly as it came. They have to figure out a way to put it together for the full game, or even just a third period to get a win; otherwise, they may dig a hole they can’t climb out of in terms of a postseason.
