Wild Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Slippery Slope & The Need For More Depth Production – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild had a very busy past week as they had four games, all at home and with a snowstorm right in the middle of their back-to-back over the weekend. The week started out strong but it only went down from there as they beat the Utah Mammoth and fell to the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The one good note was they started to find their game at the very end so they may be able to turn it around. They have three games this week, one on the road and two at home. Here are a couple of storylines to follow for the week of Mar. 16 – Mar. 23. 

Wild Need More From Depth Players

The Wild have been getting production from their main scorers, but in their most recent loss to the Maple Leafs they had two goals from one of their depth players; Vladimir Tarasenko. If they want to get back into the win column they’ll need more from players like Tarasenko, both on the scoresheet and away from the puck. 

Players like Marcus Johansson, Danila Yurov, and Yakov Trenin among others need to step up especially this time of the season. They’re heading towards the postseason at warp speed and they’ll need everyone to find a way to contribute to help get more wins and head into the playoffs on the right foot. 

Wild’s Slippery Slope 

Losing one game to a team lower in the standings wasn’t a huge issue, then it turned to two losses and it became a little more concerning. The third loss in a row to another team lower in the standings is a bit problematic, however the way the Wild responded towards the end of that third loss is important. 

Related: Wild Fans Can Continue to Trust in Guerin’s Approach

They fell behind early but they found a way to score and they didn’t stop. Although they ran out of time to get the win, they pushed through and kept competing, something they hadn’t done earlier in the week. They aren’t out of the woods yet, they’ll have to get a jump early in their next game but they’ve shown promise. 

Wild Schedule Mar. 16 – Mar. 23