3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 6-5 Overtime Win Over the Predators – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild finished up their schedule prior to the start of the Olympic break with one more game on the road against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night, Feb. 4. Marcus Foligno and Jesper Wallstedt did not travel due to illness, as they missed the game on Monday, Feb. 2, against the Montréal Canadiens as well. 

Filip Gustavsson was in the net for his second straight start, and the game started in the Wild’s favor once again. However, they struggled to keep the Predators off the scoreboard, and they went into the second period tied. The Predators took the lead early in the second, but the Wild answered back, and they went into the third tied 4-4. 

Each team scored one more goal before regulation ended, and they went into overtime tied 5-5. The Wild scored with less than a minute left and took the win 6-5. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with the Wild’s top producer for the night: Matt Boldy.

Wild’s Boldy Leads Team 

Kirill Kaprizov still holds the lead in terms of scoring for the Wild’s roster, but Matt Boldy worked hard on closing the gap against the Predators. He scored the first goal of the game under two minutes into the first, and then less than two minutes later, he scored on the power play to put the Wild up 2-0. The Wild looked to be in control of the game, and Boldy wasn’t done yet. 

The Predators got back within one, but then Boldy responded with his third goal of the game for his first hat trick of the season. The Wild looked to be headed in the right direction once again, but the Predators fought back. After his third goal, Boldy was done for the night in terms of scoring goals, but that didn’t stop him from helping set up the game-winner. 

Boldy had a hand in four of the Wild’s six goals, and he was a major reason they came out on top in the game. He’s really stepped up for the Wild this season, and he’s shown why he was chosen to be on Team USA in the Olympics. Hopefully, he’ll be able to keep this up for Team USA and when he returns to the Wild as well. 

Wild Got Lucky & More Secondary Scoring

The Wild started out strong, and although the Predators fired back and it looked like they were going to take control, the Wild got a very lucky bounce in the later minutes of the third to take their lead back. Vladimir Tarasenko took a shot that looked like it was going to miss the net, but it hit a player’s skate in front of the net and deflected in. 

There were quite a few deflected shots throughout the night, including Yakov Trenin’s goal that tied the game right before Tarasenko’s goal. It wasn’t deflected off another person’s skate, but he was in the right place at the right time to tip it in past the goaltender. While it was a tip, it was also the Wild’s secondary scoring showing up when needed. 

Their game-winning goal was also a result of secondary scoring. Of course, Boldy set up the goal, but it was Jared Spurgeon who shot it in, and although Spurgeon does contribute points, he wouldn’t be considered a top producer. He has been registering more points lately, so hopefully, like his teammates, he can bring that back with him after the break. 

Wild Have to Keep Pushing 

When the Wild get back from the Olympic break, they have to find a way to keep their foot on the gas when it comes to scoring goals and maintaining a lead. Although they’ve been able to get out of these tough spots in the past, and it worked against the Predators, it’s not always going to work. 

They scored two quick goals to open the game, and it looked like they were going to keep scoring goals all night. At the end of the night, they did put up six goals, but not before the Predators stormed their way back into the game and took the lead at one point. Part of the Wild’s problem was their penalty kill, as they allowed two of the Predators’ five goals, but the entire team needed to be better and not allow them back into the game at all.

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In the last few games, the Wild have allowed the other team to climb back into the game, but still found a way to come out with the win. While it’s great they’ve gotten the wins, they have to stop giving up the lead and giving up points to the other teams. Hopefully, they can find some consistency when they get back from the Olympic break. 

The Wild will now be off for the next couple of weeks due to the Olympics. However, eight of the Wild’s players won’t be getting a break as they’ll be representing their respective countries. Hopefully, they all have success and come back healthy and ready to have a strong final stretch to the postseason.