Wild Need to Fix 3 Things to Be Successful This Season – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

After a pretty disappointing finish to last season, the Minnesota Wild will be looking to redeem themselves and try to have a long run in the postseason. There were a number of things in their game that held them back, but on the flip side, a number of things that were strong in their game and got them as far as they did. 

In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at the mistakes that held them back from making a further run in the postseason. These items will have to be dealt with early this season if they want to have success both during the regular season and the playoffs. We’ll start with the most obvious problem and go from there. 

Wild’s Penalty Kill Liability 

It was just this past season that the Wild struggled with their penalty kill, and it wasn’t limited to just the regular season either. They finished the season in the middle of the pack, but in the playoffs they dropped like a rock and finished second to last. Even with solid players like Brock Faber and Matt Boldy leading their kill, they still found ways to struggle. 

They allowed 43 shorthanded goals during the 82-game regular season and 15 during the playoffs that lasted just 11 games for the Wild, which showed how much of a hit their penalty kill took during the postseason. The Wild have to find a way to tighten up their penalty kill without going too far in the opposite direction. Part of their issues over the season was that they’ve had trouble finding that perfect mix of aggressiveness without forgetting about defense. 

They typically leaned more defensive, and when they tried to be aggressive, they made errors and allowed the other team in behind them, and then it was too late. The Wild did find ways to be aggressive at times but couldn’t manage to do so consistently. If they hope to be a winning team, one of the first things they have to do is nail down a solid formula for their penalty kill and stick to it. 

Wild’s Faceoffs Always Problematic 

The Wild struggling to win faceoffs is nothing new; it’s been on nearly every items-to-fix list over the past few seasons, if not longer. During the regular season, their faceoff win percentage was a dismal 46.6 percent, which is part of the reason Dylan Larkin has been such a coveted player for the Wild, as he had a 52.9 faceoff win percentage last season. 

The regular season isn’t the only time the Wild have been victimized by their faceoff troubles. They’ve watched their faceoff losses turn into goals against very quickly during the postseason. The Wild have decent centers like Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman, but neither quite fits the number one center position, and they struggle to win faceoffs steadily. 

Regardless if they fill the number one center position or not, their current centers have to find a way to be better in the faceoff circle. They won’t make it any further in the postseason if they don’t find a way to win more faceoffs, and that will also help their penalty kill issues. It won’t be easy, but it will strengthen their game. 

Wild Have to Raise Level

The postseason brings out another level in most NHL teams; the ones that don’t find that next level are the ones who lose out. The Wild found that level in the first round against the Dallas Stars last season, but they couldn’t raise it when they made it to the second round against the Colorado Avalanche. They found ways to continue to get better against the Stars, but went backward against the Avalanche. 

The deeper into the postseason a team gets, the tougher the competition gets, and teams have to continue to get better. They have to find ways to adapt and learn from past mistakes to be ready for the next team they have to face. Although the Wild learned from the Stars, they couldn’t figure out how to get things moving in the right direction against the Avalanche. 

They were outskated, outscored, and plain and simply outplayed. It came as somewhat of a shock after seeing the way they played against the Stars, but sometimes that happens, as the Avalanche had the same thing happen to them when they played the Vegas Golden Knights following their series win over the Wild. 

Every season brings in new perspectives and new players; it’ll be interesting to see how these new faces work their way into the lineup and if they can help reshape some of the Wild’s past issues. They found ways to have success last season, and hopefully they can build on that to have a better season and a long postseason run.