Home Sports Top line continues to dazzle in Wild’s ‘massive’ win: Key takeaways vs. Coyotes

Top line continues to dazzle in Wild’s ‘massive’ win: Key takeaways vs. Coyotes

Alexandra Williams
-
0
Top line continues to dazzle in Wild’s ‘massive’ win: Key takeaways vs. Coyotes

[ad_1]

AP24046129186818

TEMPE, Ariz. — As well as the Minnesota Wild had played the last few weeks, none of it really mattered unless they won games like Wednesday’s against the Arizona Coyotes.

“Massive,” Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson predicted.

This was one of the teams Minnesota has been battling with for a playoff spot, with Arizona whipping the Wild 6-0 in St. Paul in their last meeting.

“They beat us pretty bad,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “That leaves a mark. We talked about it.”

“We owed them,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said.

You could tell this one meant something to the Wild, who delivered another inspired performance in a 3-1 victory at Mullett Arena. This was Minnesota’s fourth straight win, seventh win in its last nine games. It pulled the Wild to within three points of the St. Louis Blues for the last wild card spot in the West. St. Louis has a game in hand. The Wild’s best players were their best players, with the new top line of Kirill Kaprizov-Joel Eriksson Ek-Matt Boldy leading the way. Marc-Andre Fleury was really good in net again with 25 saves. The penalty kill was a perfect 3-for-3. There’s been an entire team buy-in during this stretch, including Monday’s victory over the defending Cup champion Golden Knights. “We’re just playing together,” Boldy said. “Playing with the system and all on the same page. Playing as one unit. When we play like that, we’re hard to play against.”

• Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek have combined for 72 power-play goals in the past three years.

• Boldy has 18 goals and 32 points in 34 games under Hynes.

• Jonas Brodin scored his 50th career goal and has six points (2-4=6) in seven games played since Jan. 21. You can tell what a difference he’s made.

• The Wild are now 4-for-4 in coach’s challenges this season.

Top line shines again

The trio of Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Boldy continued its dynamic play. For the third straight game together they played a big role in a Wild victory and have combined for 19 points in that span. This time, on the game’s first goal, it was Kaprizov making a smart pass behind the net on the power play to Boldy at the far post. Boldy had a highlight-reel setup to Eriksson Ek in front for the game’s first goal. Five-on-five, the line was buzzing around the Coyotes zone. Kaprizov had eight shots on goal. Boldy had four, including the game-sealing goal off the rush midway through the third. It’s been a stark cry from how the Wild’s top two offensive stars looked in their win in Chicago a week ago. They have a combined 69 shot attempts in the last three games. “They’re all playing the game that’s hard to play against,” Hynes said. “It starts with their willingness to skate and compete on pucks, and I’d say the big difference has been their puck management and puck decisions. When plays are available, they’re making those plays. But when nothing is there, whether it’s off the rush or in the offensive zone, they’re putting pucks in spots to allow them to continue to put the team they’re playing against under duress. That’s a real recipe to win. They’re talented players, but I think they’re playing with hardness and competitiveness you need, but also their puck decisions, they’re setting themselves up to make an impact.” The Wild caught a break when Eriksson Ek, injured in the final moments of the second, returned in the third and finished the game. He’s arguably their most irreplaceable player. “He’s a guy we have to have going — he does it all for us,” Boldy said. “The guy you need in the lineup.” It’s pretty easy to draw the line between Eriksson Ek joining the line and Kaprizov/Boldy playing at a very high level. “They’re playing with hard skill,” Hynes said. “The three of them are working as that trio. There’s no passengers on that line. They’re all playing the same type of game. When you have three talented players on the same line and they play with hard skill, they’re going to be a tough group to play against.”

Faber for Calder

Going into this season,  Logan Cooley was thought to have a better chance to be in the Calder Trophy conversation than his University of Minnesota teammate Brock Faber. But in a matchup of the two former Gophers stars, Faber continued to show why he should challenge Connor Bedard as the league’s top rookie. Faber was dominant in the first period, a forecheck killer as the Wild’s penalty kill came through with two conversions in the first 10 minutes. Faber collected five shots on nine attempts, going with six blocked shots, two hits and a 70-percent expected goals share and over three minutes of penalty kill time. There was a cool moment — at least for Gophers fans — in the third when Cooley made a slick move to create space from Faber on a goal. But overall Faber has played like one of the league’s top shutdown defensemen.

A timely challenge

While the Wild controlled a good part of the first half of the game, the Coyotes had them on the ropes late in the second period. They started to have extended possession in the Minnesota zone and created scrambles in front. And it appeared Arizona had tied the score with four minutes to go on a Nick Schmaltz shot through traffic. But Hynes challenged for goalie interference, as there was a Coyotes player right in the crease up close on Marc-Andre Fleury, who said he couldn’t go down to make the stop. “On the play, I felt like he was in the blue,” Fleury said of the Coyotes player. Hynes said video coaches flagged the call right away, and it turned into a pivotal one by the Wild staff, as the goal was overturned, sapping the momentum of the Coyotes and quieting the crowd. “They were feeling it and were were a little on our heels,” Brodin said. Brodin scored in the final minute of the period to give them much-needed breathing room. But Fleury also made some key saves. The game could have looked a lot different had Fleury not stopped Nick Bjugstad on a breakaway early in the first period. After the successful challenge late in the second, Fleury then came through with a sprawling stop with 45 seconds left. “He makes a lot of key saves at key times,” Hynes said. “And the way he competes in the net, his passion for the game, it’s really what has driven his talent in his career.”

Three stars

1. Matt Boldy, Wild — The winger continued his heater with another strong game, picking up an assist and the game-sealing goal in the third.

2. Joel Eriksson Ek, Wild — The two-way center also had a two-point night and played his typical stout defense.

3. Kirill Kaprizov, Wild — The team’s biggest star was dynamic from start to finish with a game-high eight shots on goal and an assist.

(Photo of the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov, left, and Matt Boldy, right, celebrating Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal during the first period Wednesday: Darryl Webb / Associated Press)



[ad_2]

Source link

© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv