The Minnesota Wild Are Hitting Somewhat of a Rough Patch Lately, Which is Impacting the Central Division Standings That Looked Pretty Solid Before They Started Falling.
Before the loss to the Chicago Blackhawks that led into the bye week, the Minnesota Wild were rolling, sitting atop the Central Division with a 7 point lead over the team from the Windy City. This was February 21st.
Fast forward almost a month and the Wild are struggling, while the Blackhawks have regained the top spot in the Central by a point. The Minnesota Wild have lost three straight games and the recent inconsistent play from the team that's been a pillar of consistency for most of the season has left the organization in a tough spot with just 13 games to go.
Since coming off the bye week, the defense hasn't looked like the shut down defense that hockey fans are used to seeing from the Wild. In eight games in March, Minnesota has given up 23 goals — nearly 2.9 goals per game. This isn't the Wild way, considering the team ranks 4th in the NHL in goals against and gives up just over 2.4 per game on average.
Minnesota Wild Goaltending
There's nothing to show that Devan Dubnyk has been a problem in goal, despite what some may be thinking. Yes, Dubnyk is 2-3-0 in his last five decisions but has just a 1.60 goals against average in those games. He was pulled after allowing two goals on two shots to the Blackhawks over the weekend, but every goalie has bad days.
Darcy Keumper, on the other hand, has been very poor during this post-bye-week stretch. In three starts, Keumper has just one decision — a loss — and has given up 3.33 goals per game with a .870 save percentage.
A Different Offense
Not usually known for stellar offense, the Minnesota Wild have thrived in this area under new head coach Bruce Boudreau. The Wild are 3rd in the National Hockey League in goals, lighting the lamp 225 times in 69 games — a 3.26 average per game.
The top-line of Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu, and Mikael Granlund have combined for 63 goals this year, while each of the other three lines have at least one 10-plus-goal scorer.
However, the offense hasn't looked the same in March. The team is averaging just 2.12 goals per game in eight games this month and that data is somewhat skewed by a 7-goal performance against the Florida Panthers that hasn't even remotely been repeated in those other six games.
Right wing Nino Niederreiter, who has 20 goals on the year, doesn't have a single goal in March. Zucker and Koivu have just one a piece, while the trade deadline acquisition of Martin Hanzal from the Arizona Coyotes hasn't translated into a single goal thus far.
The team doesn't need to be a flashy, overly-aggressive offense as long as the defense and goaltending are up to snuff. But as long as the blue line is allowing opponents to score more than average, the forwards have to be on their game in order to win.
Central Division Chase
After the Wild dropped a game to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday evening that coincided with yet another Chicago win, Minnesota is three points back with 13 games to play (12 for Chicago).
The repercussions could be huge if this slump causes Minnesota to keep that 2nd spot. That will mean a 1st round matchup against a tough Nashville Predators team that has won three straight, or possibly Mike Yeo's rejuvenated St. Louis Blues team that has won six of the last seven games.
Minnesota will need to figure out these issues and figure them out fast because the team will want that top spot in order to get one of the weaker Wild Card opponents.
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