After a couple of days of the NHL getting underway, the Minnesota Wild finally got their turn to play on Thursday, Oct. 12. They opened their season at home against the Florida Panthers, and after their “Let’s Play Hockey” cheer by Natalie Darwitz, who was recently named general manager of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team in Minnesota, things got going.
The Panthers took control of the game, skating circles around the Wild until the Wild found a lucky break with a goal from the blue line to give them an edge 1-0. Things started to tilt their way, and while they were still trying to keep up, it was getting better.
In the second period, the Wild continued to be behind in shots but found a way to score again to extend their lead to two goals. While several chances followed for both teams, those would be the lone goals, and the Wild went on to win their home and season opener 2-0 with Filip Gustavsson getting the shutout, all without their injured captain Jared Spurgeon.
Wild’s Gustavsson & Faber Lead the Way
There was no doubt who would receive the game’s number one star when the third period ended: Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson. While they won’t name a starting goalie yet, as they claim they’ll do a 50/50 split with Gustavsson and Marc-André Fleury, Gustavsson made a solid case to take that starting spot. He faced 41 shots on goal from some high-quality scorers and stopped every single one.
Watching his performance, it’s clear he worked hard this offseason to fine-tune his game and appears quicker mentally and on his feet. He was outstanding last season, and he’s just continued to improve. However, he wasn’t the only one who worked on their game during the summer; Marco Rossi and Brock Faber looked great. Unfortunately, Rossi’s goal was overturned because someone was offside, but Faber stole the spotlight early.
When things looked pretty bleak for the Wild, Faber stepped up and gave them the boost they needed with a goal early in the first. That wasn’t the only time he stepped up either; after a little bit of a sloppy start to the game, he settled in, and scoring the goal gave him the confidence he needed to feel comfortable jumping into the play.
Faber played 21 minutes with one goal, one hit, two giveaways, one takeaway, and one blocked shot. He also did much more than his stats show; he had an energetic presence regarding offense and defense. As this is just game one of 82, it’ll be fun to see how his game can progress even more as the season moves along.
Wild’s Slow Start
As stated before, the Wild started the game extraordinarily sluggish and looked like they were playing the second game of a back-to-back at the end of an arduous road trip rather than their home opener to start the season. They were making bad passes, letting the Panthers control both the play and the speed of the game.
Those who’ve followed the Wild for a long time know that when a team starts to play like that around the Wild, they typically fall apart. However, this time, they stepped up enough to get that first goal on the board, which gave them the jumpstart they needed to get their heads in the game.
It shouldn’t be cause for alarm as it is just game one of a long season, but the Wild have to be careful not to make a habit of starting games like that. They can’t expect their goaltender to stand on their head to keep them in the game when they should be from the start. Hopefully, in their next game, they’ll be more prepared, and any nerves they may have had will be long gone.
Wild’s Shot Issues & Strong Special Teams
This may sound like a broken record from last season, but the Wild must figure out how to get their shots up. They were outshot 41-21 and didn’t get their first shot until two minutes into the first period after the Panthers had already gotten four shots. Unfortunately, the Wild went another two minutes without a shot on goal, and that’s how most of the period went.
Kirill Kaprizov didn’t register any points against the Panthers, but it wasn’t without trying. He had four shots on goal and would’ve had more had it not been for the Panthers’ defense. The Wild need more shots from the rest of their lineup, but there is also a bright side. Their special teams, both power play and penalty kill, were successful.
Their penalty kill was perfect, killing off all three chances the Panthers had. On the other hand, the Wild scored on one of the four power-play chances they had. One of their power play extraordinaires, Joel Eriksson Ek, snuck a goal past the Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on a 4-on-3 man advantage. It would be great if the Wild could keep this going as the season progresses.
Wild Head on Road
The Wild will have a short time to celebrate at home before heading on their first road trip of the season. They’ll head out to eastern Canada for a quick two-game trip, with the first stop against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the second against the Montréal Canadiens. They’ll have their hands full with the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, etc.
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They’ll also see their former teammates Ryan Reaves and John Klingberg for the first time this season. Hopefully, they’ll have Marcus Johansson with them, as he left the game injured during the third period. If the Wild can have a faster start and more shots on goal, they’ll have a chance to take down the Maple Leafs on Saturday evening, Oct. 14.
