Wild Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Injury Woes, Special Teams Success & Stars Being Effective – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild had yet another interesting past week as they continued their Round 2 series against the Colorado Avalanche. They lost Game 2, had a three-day break, and then came out big at home in Game 3 with a win. They also had a bit of adversity to get through with injuries and goaltending, but they bounced back. 

They’ll have two more games this week for sure, and depending on how Games 4 and 5 go, they’ll potentially see Game 6 and Game 7 as well. In this article, we’ll look at a few storylines for the Wild’s next week, May 11 – May 18. 

Wild’s Injury Woes 

The Wild had some injury issues in their first-round series against the Dallas Stars, and they found their way through those. Now they’re facing injury issues again; this time, it’s Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin who have the injuries, and they’re going against the Avalanche. It was obvious the Wild missed Eriksson Ek and Brodin in Games 1 and 2, but they found a way without them in Game 3. 

It’ll be interesting to see if Eriksson Ek tries to join them for Game 4 as he skated prior to Game 3 and he was a possibility but didn’t play. He would be a huge boost if the Wild could get him back even if he’s not at 100 percent, which it’s likely he wouldn’t be. However, they don’t want to get him back for just one shift, and he’s out again. They’ll want him back permanently, so if they have to wait to get that, they likely will. Hopefully, he’ll be ready to go and can be a factor immediately. 

Wild’s Special Teams Success

The Wild took a huge step in Game 3 in terms of both their power play and penalty kill. They scored two power-play goals after struggling in Games 1 and 2, and those goals helped secure their win. They played a lot more structured and got the puck to the net until it finally went in. Their star Quinn Hughes got the power play going, and Ryan Hartman followed suit. 

Their penalty kill did allow a goal, but it could’ve been way worse for how their penalty kill had been playing, especially against a power play with the talent that the Avalanche have. They found ways to get sticks in the passing lanes, they blocked shots, and they killed off two of the three penalties they took. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to keep that success going as they go into Game 4. 

Wild’s Stars Being Effective 

If a team wants to win a playoff series, especially against a team like the Avalanche, they need all of their players, but especially their stars, to be playing at their best. The Wild are no exception, and that’s how they got things going in Game 3, as Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes made their marks on the scoresheet and played remarkable games. 

Hughes had been playing all postseason strongly, and while Kaprizov has been strong in the postseason with assists, everyone wants to see him score goals. He scored a beauty to get things going for his team in Game 3, and hopefully that’s just the start, and he can go on a scoring spree to help his team secure more wins. 

Wild Week May 11 – May 18