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2 Points in the Points Bank |
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Last night's 4-3 win over the Coyotes may not have been all that pretty but in the end the two points in the standings are what really matters.
It is January and the Wild have accumulated 63 points through their first 44 games. They now have 29 wins which is nine short of their season total from a year ago when they finished with 87 points and the final wild card berth in the Western Conference.
Last year the Wild struggled through January going 3-7-3 and when the calendar turned to February they dropped their first six leading to the dismissal of head coach, Mike Yeo. Now, there were several of those games that very well could have gone the Wild's way but they didn't and in the end the standings points were lost. On the flipside this season the Wild are 6-1-1 since the calendar turned to 2017. And yes, there are some of those games that have not been the prettiest, but in the end the Wild are maturing into a winning team.
The Minnesota Wild have been on a progression, having made the playoffs four straight seasons and winning a couple of playoff series in the process. The fact that they are now regarded as one of the Western Conference's best should not be a shock to anyone.
The personnel moves may not appear to be all that significant, but in reality there is a lot more than meets the eye. The move to sign Eric Staal has been both a good cap move but better yet a move to bring in a true number one center. The so called hockey experts that looked down on this move are guys that really don't watch a player play night in and night out, they are just looking at numbers. Those numbers of course did drop off.
The next move to bring back Chris Stewart to play depth minutes and provide a positive influence in the locker room is being overshadowed by Eric Staal's tremendous season. But Stewart's contributions are just as significant. The teams that win in the playoffs all have depth lines that not only check well and create havoc, they also contribute offensively and Chris Stewart has some of the best hands you will find on a fourth line player in the entire league.
Bruce Boudreau is getting a lot of the credit and it is well deserved, but the additions of Scott Stevens and John Anderson are paying significant dividends with the Wild special teams units. Last night's victory was the direct result of Nino Niederreiter's late power play goal.
The last point that I want to make, is the goaltending which has been outstanding for the good majority of the season. Yes, Darcy Kuemper gets the wrath of the Wild faithful, but remember he is in a tough position. He plays once every few weeks and it is a late decision usually when he knows that he is playing.
Last night saw Devan Dubnyk surrender two very soft goals because he did not come out another step in both cases to cut the angle. Now not much is said because it is Dubnyk, and that is right. He has earned his position, but even Doobs is human.
Looking forward to Hockey Day in Minnesota tomorrow should be a really good show!
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