It is funny how a Wild win changes people's perception of things. Yes the Wild won 3-0 and Devan Dubnyk turned aside all 41 shots he faced.
But as we dive a little deeper, this was the third game in a row that the Wild faced a team that was missing key components of their rosters. The Canadiens scored two goals that were nullified, the first on the ice immediately, the second via the coach's challenge executed by the Wild's, Bruce Boudreau.
Jason Zucker continued his hot hand, scoring all three Wild goals in the win and he now has five in tow games.
Dubnyk was good in the win but it was not like he stood on his head in the 41 save shutout. Still a good sign in for the Wild top netminder, to have a strong performance on the road in the back end of a back to back.
So now the Wild head to Philly and have an opportunity to finish the trip with a .500 record. Stringing wins together is important at this stage of the season as the Thanksgiving measuring stick is just two weeks away.
The team is fairly healthy, with the only exceptions being Zach Parise who hasn't played all season and is out long term, and Charlie Coyle, also out long term, but may resume skating on his own soon. The roster has been the same for several games now and the excuses of continuity and injuries don't apply.
If the Wild are going to accomplish the lofty goals they have set for themselves, winning consistently and finding ways to win these close games is where it begins.
There is still a letdown side of this team, that appears in every game. They tend to sag after good attempts in the offensive zone that don't result in a goal then almost immediately they give up one to their opponent. That occurred Wednesday in Toronto, Matt Cullen's attempt was steered aside by Frederik Andersen, the leafs came right back down and scored. Last night it almost happened again when Tyler Ennis made a nifty move to get himself clear for a one on one with Canadiens goalie Charlie Lindgren, but hit the post. The Canadiens responded with a rush back up ice and appeared to have scored, but the goal was waived off on the ice as it was deemed that Karl Alzner high stick directed the puck in with a high stick.
Had that been called a good goal on the ice it would have stood in my opinion but through replay there was no clear evidence to overturn the decision on the ice. So the Wild ultimately dodged that bullet, but the trend is alarming either way.
Back to work for the Wild as the Flyers will be no easy task and they get them for two in a row, as the rare home and home with an Eastern Conference opponent does not happen all that often. These kinds of situations can create some quick animosity so be prepared for two very spirited contests between the Wild and Flyers.