The Minnesota Wild were desperate to get back into the win column when they took on the New York Rangers Saturday night, Nov. 4, in their final home game before another three-game road trip. Their first time wearing their new “78s” didn’t go so well, and it appeared at first as their pattern of losing would continue, but the Wild had some magic up their sleeves for their second appearance in their “78s.”
Again, things didn’t start great as the Wild went down early, not by just one goal but three goals before the first period was even halfway over. They couldn’t respond before the period ended, but they did appear to have a little hope, as they had some strong chances that didn’t go in. The second is where the Wild showed what kind of team they can be. They got a quick goal that went in off the tip of Ryan Hartman’s stick, and less than 30 seconds later, they added another to get within one goal. That was the only scoring in the second period, but it was clear the Wild were building up some momentum and had that energy they’ve been missing for quite some time.
They came out in the third, ready to take control of the game with two more goals to not only tie the game but take their first lead. However, as has been the routine this season, the Wild gave up another goal to the Rangers for a tie game 4-4. There were some great chances towards the end, but overtime was needed. There were some great opportunities throughout the overtime, but both teams were held scoreless, and they needed a shootout. The Wild got a lucky bounce and a strong performance from Marc-André Fleury that sealed the deal, and they got their first win since Oct. 24.
Wild Find Their Effort
While the first period didn’t go as the Wild hoped, going down three goals early, they still had a much better effort with taking shots and trying to force opportunities. Their defensive struggles were still there, as were their goaltending issues, but once the Wild changed from Filip Gustavsson to Fleury and killed off a penalty, it was like a switch was flipped.
That second period, they came out rejuvenated and determined to claw their way back into the game. They not only did that, but they took control against one of the stronger teams in the NHL. They threw shot after shot and kept pushing until they finally found some success and snuck out the win.
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The team as a whole got their act together and started fighting for pucks along the boards and created many scoring chances. They also worked hard to force the Rangers into taking penalties that gave the Wild even more opportunities to score. It wasn’t just the initial effort, but the continued second and third effort that made the difference and was talked about all evening by the local television broadcasters.
Wild’s Disciplined Special Teams
One of the significant reasons the Wild didn’t continue to struggle is they remained disciplined even after going down three goals. They didn’t allow themselves to take bad penalties or offensive zone penalties like they had in the past. They only took one penalty, and that penalty kill gave them the morale boost they needed to fight back.
While the Wild were successful on their single penalty kill, their power play didn’t have the same outcome. They worked hard to draw four penalties but couldn’t score on any of them. They had many close calls with their new power-play unit, which is comprised of all forwards, but they couldn’t force one in.
Lately, the Wild had been struggling to keep possession of the puck when on their power play, but that wasn’t a problem against the Rangers. They tried several plays and opened the ice, but the Rangers’ Jonathan Quick was ready for nearly every shot. The Wild need to get their power play going, but thankfully, it didn’t affect them in this win.
Wild’s Individual Highlights
While it’s no surprise that Hartman, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Mats Zuccarello scored, the two players who earned the most recognition are Marco Rossi and Fleury. Rossi was giving 110 percent the entire night from start to finish, and he was part of the reason his team could get things going. He forced one of the Rangers penalties and was relentless about getting the puck and is now tied amongst NHL rookies for the most goals with five.
Gustavsson had the start initially, but after a difficult start where he let in three goals, they switched to Fleury, and he was lights out. There were a few close calls, and he let in one goal but stepped up to keep his team in it. He found another level in the overtime and the shootout as well, with a fantastic last save that had him doing the splits.
65th shootout win, first in NHL history https://t.co/O9ClZIbsEj
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 5, 2023
Zuccarello did earn an extra mention as he scored in the shootout along with Matt Boldy’s lucky goal that initially hit the post but hit Quick and rolled into the net. Brock Faber also had an outstanding performance between his defensive work and his jump onto the offensive side that secured him an assist.
The final player to mention is Pat Maroon; he’s known for his physical side, but he’s shown his offensive side isn’t gone. He forced the Rangers to turn over the puck several times, and he also had several scoring chances but couldn’t finish.
Wild’s Road Trip
The Wild were still without Jared Spurgeon, Alex Goligoski, and Frédérick Gaudreau, but the Rangers were also without their big stars in Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, Filip Chytil, and Barclay Goodrow. Despite the Rangers missing those key players, it still took the Wild until the second period to get into the game.
Related: Minnesota Wild’s Marco Rossi Finally Playing Like Top 10 Pick
They can’t play that way when they head out east this next week to take on the New York Islanders, the Rangers for a second time, and the Buffalo Sabres. They’ll need to start the game with the same high energy they had in the second and third periods of their win over the Rangers if they want to continue their win streak. Now that they know they can come back from deficits, hopefully, they’ll have more confidence going into these next games and return with more wins.