3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 9-6 Loss to the Avalanche in Game 1 – The Hockey Writers –

The Minnesota Wild faced the Colorado Avalanche on the road in Game 1 of Round 2 on Sunday evening, May 3. They dealt with injuries during Round 1, and then in Round 2, they were dealt even more. This time, it was Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek who were out due to injuries from Round 1. Danila Yurov and Daemon Hunt were the two players who came into the lineup due to the injuries. 

Jesper Wallstedt proved himself through Round 1 and earned the start in Game 1 of Round 2. It was a rough start as the Avalanche jumped up three goals early, but then the Wild responded with two of their own. Then both teams were off to the races as they continued to score until the final few minutes, and the Avalanche took the win 9-6. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with the good, before finishing up with the improvements. 

Wild’s Offense Explodes

Their series against the Stars was a tight one, and although there were quite a few goals scored, this game was one nobody could quite explain. Although the Wild fell, they easily could’ve given up when it was 3-0 and let the Avalanche make it all the way to 9-0. However, they forced their way in and gave themselves a strong chance to win, and that was because of who was on the scoresheet. 

Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman, Vladimir Tarasenko, Quinn Hughes, Marcus Foligno, and Mats Zuccarello all scored big goals. They also showed that it takes everyone to win, and they have a lot of solid depth that can score goals when needed. Each of these goals gave the team a chance to win, and again, they didn’t give up. 

It’ll be interesting to see if this offense continues through the series or if it’ll quiet down a little as these two teams settle in for what’s likely to be a battle until the end. Game 2 will likely have quite a bit more defense than Game 1, and hopefully, it will benefit the Wild. 

Wild’s Faceoffs & Special Teams Interesting 

When looking over the stats for the game, there was a giant positive, and that was the Wild’s faceoff percentage. They weren’t the best in their series against the Stars, but they were just over 50 percent, which is an improvement for the Wild. Now, in Game 1 against the Avalanche, the Wild won 63.1 percent of the faceoffs to the Avalanche’s 36.9 percent. That was 41 of 65 faceoffs won for the Wild compared to 24 out of 65 for the Avalanche. 

While most will say they still lost the game regardless of their faceoffs, those faceoff wins gave them the chance to win, and in the past, faceoff losses led to quick postseason exits. The Wild’s special teams continue to be a story, and they did allow the Avalanche to score while on the power play.

However, the Wild may have given their penalty kill a boost going forward as they scored while shorthanded. They had seven shorthanded goals throughout the season, and their last one was just under a month ago against the St. Louis Blues. This goal will hopefully be exactly what they need to get their penalty kill back on track. 

Wild Need Defense

With the amount of goals scored by both teams, it’s safe to say both teams’ defense and goaltenders were not at the top of their respective games. Although the Avalanche got the win, letting in six goals is not going to win many games. The Wild’s defense was exploited a bit as they had a few costly turnovers, and their goaltender was not able to bail them out. 

The opposite can also be said, although Wallstedt struggled in Game 5 against the Stars, his defense stepped up and helped clear out the front of the net, which didn’t happen in Game 1 against the Avalanche. While it’s frustrating, the Wild have to remember it’s just the first game of the series and to keep their businesslike attitude. 

They know what they have to do better and what they did well. They’ve shown they’re a team that can learn from their mistakes, and this was a very uncharacteristic game for their defense to be that sloppy. It will be interesting to see how they adjust for Game 2 and if they stick with the same lineup. 

They won’t have a lot of time to focus on the negatives or positives, as Game 2 will be on Tuesday, May 5. They’ll have to reset, find a way to come out even stronger, and push to get the win and come home with a split.