The Minnesota Wild take on the Utah Mammoths on Saturday, October 25, beginning their six-game homestand after five previous games on the road. This road trip has been tough, with Zach Bogosian out due to injury, and the record is 1-3-1. Aside from the addition of Bogosian, the Wild’s injury situation is unchanged and neither is the goaltending.
The Wild and Mammoths are both playing the first half of back-to-back games, meaning Filip Gustavsson scored first and Jesper Wallstedt is expected to play in the second half on Sunday. Both teams are shaking off losses and looking to get back on the right track with a win. The Mammoths opened the game with a three-game winning streak, and the Wild found themselves fighting to regain the game.
Although the Wild recovered strongly in the middle of the game, they failed to hold on and lost 6-2. In this article, we’ll take a look at some highlights from the defeat, starting with highlights from their only goal scorer, Marcus Johnson.
Wilder’s Johnson had a great night
An ongoing question about the Wild’s roster is whether Marcus Johnson should be in the top six, but he earned a spot in the top six against the Mammoths. He didn’t have his best game the entire game, but he did it in key moments, including getting the Wild back into the game not once but twice and tying the game from a 3-0 deficit.
He had some other good chances but didn’t make it, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. He also had some struggles on defense, but overall, he was one of the main reasons the Wild were able to get back into the game, and they’ll need to keep working on it if they want to win the game.
“I think Marcus (Johnson) has been very consistent and I think his speed is a factor every night and I think his game is strong. When he’s in an area where he can shoot, he shoots and that line seems to be a factor no matter where we put him, but when you have a guy who can skate like that, who can compete like that It helps, and he has a consistent effort and competitiveness, so “he’s kind of bouncing around on different lines and you know where he’s at and usually that line is pretty good, which is a sign of a guy playing consistent hockey,” head coach John Hines said of Johnson’s efforts so far this season in his postgame press conference.
“Wild” existed briefly
The same situation has played out in several games this season: the Wild have either taken a lead but been unable to hold it, or attempted a comeback and failed. What both have in common is that they can play very well for a while, but that doesn’t last. While they didn’t play badly, they didn’t play to the best of what they knew they were capable of.
There was one time against the Mammoths where they looked like they were going to muscle their way in and not only tie the game, but win. They had everything going their way, but the momentum seemed to shift, only for it to shift in the opposite direction, and they could never get it back. They know they have to find a way to keep playing consistently, but they can’t seem to do it.
“I mean, it just bounced off and I went to a guy thinking he was going to kick the ball and it went over his stick… It was frustrating because we were trying too hard and I almost felt like we were trying too hard when we really wanted to and then one little mistake cost us and it’s frustrating, but we’ve got to do better,” Marcus Johnson said after the game of surpassing his Mammoth goal.
Make simple mistakes wildly
While wildlife may face many problems that add to their losses, these are simple mistakes that can be corrected. There were times against the Mammoths where they just skated the puck through or moved the puck to where they expected their teammates to be, but no one was there. They did change the original route dramatically so that might work on the passing game, but they have to tighten it up.
Another issue with their passing game that is solvable and has arisen this season, especially on their power play, is getting past the puck. This is an easy thing to do because players are looking for the perfect gap, but oftentimes it doesn’t exist and they lose the shot opportunity by taking too long. They have more success when they make quick, simple passes and then shoot faster, and they have to find that part of the game again.
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“I don’t know, it’s hard to tell right now, it’s different, every game is different. It starts with keeping the puck out of our net. I’m a big part of that. I’ve got to do a better job,” Faber said of what exactly might be holding the team back from having a consistent game after the loss.
This loss is tough to swallow for the Wild, but they don’t have much time to think about it as they host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, October 26th. They have to put aside some of their frustrations and try to find their team in the middle of the game. If they play like this against the Sharks, they can win.
