Three straight Ls for the Wild after opening 2023 with a win over Tampa. Yes the Wild have snared a couple of points in the process with OT and shootout losses to Buffalo and the Rangers respectively. They were sandwiched around a 3-0 shutout loss to St. Louis.
All four games in the New Year shed some light on the Wild's shortcomings. No it is not panic time by any stretch however it is the time to look for the solutions.
The game against Tampa was anything but a 5-1 dominant Wild victory as they were outshot and the play was far more even despite the Lightning having played and traveled the night before.
The Sabre game turned onto a track meet which is by no means the Wild game. They let Buffalo dictate the flow and a soft tying goal opened the door for the OT loss.
St. Louis used a timely bounce on a first period powerplay to capitalize on a rebound that Filip Gustavsson could not squeeze and the Wild could not solve Thomas Greiss the rest of the way. The main issue in this contest was the Wild's dismal effort thru much of the first two periods and then they tried to turn it in in the third.
Last night was a bit of the same afetr the Wild took a 2-0 lead to the room after one period. The second was the flat Wild and the Rangers took full advantage. After Mats Zuccarello gave the Wild the lead they once again could not hold that lead as they endured possibly the worst shift of the season. All five Wild skaters just chased the puck feverishly while the Rangers danced around the Madison Square Garden ice knowing they were going to tie the game up. That they did when Filip Chytyl poked in a loose puck in the crease.
The overtime also was also an issue as the Wild could not gain control of the puck for the entire 5 minute overtime, which did include a Ranger powerplay. That in itself was a terrible too many men on the ice penalty that simply should never happen, period!
So puck possession, faceoffs, special teams, and confident 5-0n-5 offensive pressure are all lacking with this Wild club. Watching Buffalo and the Rangers carry and move the puck effectively should have opened the Wild brass' eyes that the time has come to make some much needed changes.
We have heard that Matt Dumba has been the topic of interest from Edmonton and Ottawa so what would it take to make a move involving #24?
The Wild prospect pool is fairly deep so adding to that at this time is not really the direction that Bill Guerin really would like to go. Combine that with the hole on the blueline that removing Dumba would cause for a team in the thick of the playoff race. It would serve the Wild better to be involved in a hockey trade that would yield an offensive talent to bolster the Wild attack.
Goaltending has been very good for the Wild, their issues center around the offense and the lackluster effort and attention to detail.
A lot is made of the Wild lineup and who the healthy scratch becomes with all 13 forwards shealthy for the first time this season. It was Mason Shaw last night, and Ryan Reeves will be in that mix along with Connor Dewar, but at the end of the day neither of those players is going to move the needle when it comes to striking fear in the opposition goaltenders.