The Minnesota Wild finished up their quick two-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, Mar. 3, in a late-night battle. While the trade deadline continued to inch closer, the Wild looked to get back in the win column.
They took a blow in the injury department as Marcus Foligno was listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, but in better news, they got one of their top defensemen back in Jonas Brodin, who had surgery back in January that caused him to miss the Olympics, but was back and joined the Wild.
Filip Gustavsson was back in the net for his second consecutive start, and the game started out in favor of the Wild with an early goal in the first. The Wild held the lead even when the Lightning fought back, and they came out with the win. We’ll take a look at a few takeaways from the game, starting with the Wild’s energy level.
Wild Had Jump
For the first time since they got back from the Olympic break, the Wild had a big jump in their step. They looked fast, their passes connected, and overall, they looked like the team everyone expected them to be. They had some mistakes, of course, but things were much cleaner and crisper, and they were aggressive.
Every player on the ice looked ready to play, even Quinn Hughes who’s had a very busy past couple of weeks, and had acknowledged he wasn’t getting the rest he normally does lately after their game against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, Mar. 1. That wasn’t the case against the Lighting, he seemed rejuvenated and ready to play along with the rest of the team and scored a goal as well.
“Utah, absolutely, we didn’t like our game there. St. Louis wasn’t bad by any means, but we didn’t capitalize on our chances, and we put together a nice, really solid game tonight,” said Jake Middleton to the media after the game about the team’s overall efforts.
Wild’s Scoring Steps Up
Wild fans have seen a lot more of Brock Faber this year in terms of his play style. He’s always been a great defenseman, and one of the Wild’s best since he came here, but since joining Hughes, he’s been on a roll. There have been a few more mistakes in his game that many have taken note of, but he’s also taking more risks than he’s used to.
He was rewarded in their game against the Lightning as he got his team on the board first, following a great passing play by Marcus Johansson and Matt Boldy. His goal gave his team an added boost, and their power play continued to thrive as Mats Zuccarello stepped up with a wicked shot that gave them a 2-0 lead. They added a third goal thanks to Yakov Trenin, who followed the play in when Andrei Vasilevskiy mishandled the puck.
However, they weren’t done yet as Hughes added a goal of his own in the third period. There was one more goal scored before the buzzer sounded, and it was a history-making one by Kirill Kaprizov. He scored his 220th career goal, which set a new franchise record for the Wild as he passed Mariàn Gàborik.
“Yeah, it’s good, you know, but you always want more and just don’t think about this too much, and it feels good because everyone…say congrats and stuff like that, but now it’s done and just need to keep going,” said Kaprizov to the media about breaking the record and he even joked when asked about Gàborik’s message that he saw it before the game when he taped his stick but didn’t realize it was for him until Mats Zuccarello told him.
Wild’s Gustavsson Bounces Back
Filip Gustavsson had a rough showing for Team Sweden in the Olympics, and many fans questioned whether it would carry over into the NHL. He had a strong game against the Colorado Avalanche, which the Wild won, but he ended up leaving due to illness with a minute left in the game.
His next game against the St. Louis Blues was a rough one for everyone, but against the Lightning, he was back to his usual form and had some great saves throughout the night. He kept his team in the lead and made it possible for them to get the win. He made some big saves down the stretch when the Lightning tried to make a push, and that got them the win.
“Yeah I mean I’m very fortunate, I think when you have the opportunity to coach a team like this and the longer you’re in the league you have different experiences on different teams, for this team right now it’s a really complete team and as you said I think you have three guys in their prime that are of superstar status and it’s not just that they’re superstars, it’s really the type of people and how they play. Like they’re team-first guys, they’re engaged in the game, they play both sides of the puck, they work hard. I think that’s really important…” said head coach John Hynes in his postgame press conference when asked about the superstars on his team in Hughes, Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.
Related: Wild Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Trade Deadline Looms and Marcus Foligno Injury
The Wild will head on the road for a quick two-game stint as Grand Casino Arena hosts the Minnesota boys’ state high school hockey tournament. The Wild will face the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, Mar. 6, and the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday afternoon, Mar. 8. Hopefully, they can continue this strong play and bring home some more wins.
