3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 5-4 Win Over the Red Wings – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild finished their quick two-game road back-to-back on Easter Sunday, Apr. 5, against the Detroit Red Wings. Both teams they faced on this road trip were battling each other in the Eastern Conference for the final wild-card spot. They took down the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Apr. 4, and looked to do the same to the Red Wings on Sunday.

The Wild’s roster looked the same from their game against the Senators, except Zach Bogosian was injured, so Jeff Petry took his open spot. Filip Gustavsson was in the net since Jesper Wallstedt was in against the Senators. The game started out in favor of the Red Wings, but the Wild fought back, forced their way into the game, and took a 4-1 lead.

The third period is where things took a turn, and the Red Wings scored three straight to tie the game up. The Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov scored on the power play in the final minute and a half to take the win. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with their ability to bounce back. 

Wild Show They Can Bounce Back 

The Wild have shown this season that they are a team that likes to score first, and when they do, they’ve been pretty successful. In the past, they’ve had to prove they are a team that is capable of coming from behind, and although they haven’t had to do that a lot this season, they’ve found a way to do so lately, which was the exact case twice against the Red Wings. 

The Red Wings scored just under two minutes into the first period, and that could’ve easily put the Wild on their heels, especially being on the road. Instead, the Wild dug deep and answered back just 18 seconds into the middle period. From that point on, the Wild continued to pile on the scoring and didn’t look back until the third period threw them for a loop. The Red Wings found a way to get around the Wild’s defense multiple times and managed to tie the game late. 

Once again, the Wild could’ve let themselves feel defeated after giving up a three-goal lead, but they dug deep one more time and scored, which sealed the win. Obviously, the Wild have to find a way not to allow teams back in, but at least they came out with the win in the end. 

In the postseason, anything can happen, especially when their opponent is going to be their division rival, the Dallas Stars. The Wild have had to find ways to come from behind against them in the past, and knowing how not to get discouraged when trying to mount a comeback is essential. So, while it’s not ideal to start out behind, it’s good that the Wild can prove to themselves they are capable of climbing back into a game. 

Wild’s Scorers Continue to Step Up 

We’re not even a full week into the month of April, but the Wild have found a way to mostly get out of the funk they got themselves into during the month of March. Their top scorers have led the way, and against the Red Wings, they were the heroes throughout the game. Matt Boldy was rather quiet during the month of March, but in April, he has five points in three games. 

Boldy scored the Wild’s first goal of the game, which led them to their first run of momentum, and it was a birthday goal for him as well. Of course, now whenever Boldy scores, Kirill Kaprizov follows suit, and he did just that as he scored a minute and seven seconds later to give the Wild their first lead of the game against the Red Wings. 

Kaprizov went on to score two more goals, including the game-winner that was on the power play. It was his sixth hat trick in the regular season, and he truly put the team on his back to get the win, and helped make up for some mistakes that allowed the Red Wings back in. Boldy and Kaprizov took most of the spotlight, but Vladimir Tarasenko also contributed on the scoresheet and extended the Wild’s lead to 3-1 at the time and allowed them a little bit of a cushion. 

Wild Work on Finding Form 

While most will focus on the fact that the Wild gave up a three-goal lead in the third period, and they should focus on that, the Wild did find a way to get the win. Looking at the goals the Red Wings scored, outside of the first, the Wild have a way to prevent those. The other three goals, the Red Wings found a way in behind the Wild’s defense, and each player was left all alone to shoot right into the open net while Filip Gustavsson was sprawling from the other side to try and make the save. 

Apart from giving up the lead, the rest of the game was quite strong for the Wild, and they looked like their postseason form was taking shape. They scored strong goals, they had production from their top players as well as lower in the lineup, and they overcame some adversity. 

The other area that really stuck out was their blocked shots, as they had 25 compared to the Red Wings’ eight, including one at the very end of the game by Boldy that had him limping for a bit. Everyone is willing to step up and make the sacrifice, which is something they’ll need heading into the postseason. 

Related: Minnesota Wild’s 3 Keys to a Successful Postseason

The Wild found a way to get the win, and they headed home with four out of a possible four points. They’ll be back at home for one quick game against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, Apr. 7, before heading out on their last road trip of the regular season, where they’ll face the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues. Their final game of the regular season will be at home against the Anaheim Ducks, and hopefully, they’ll end this final stretch on a high note.