Wild Game Day number 47 Wild Record (22-16-8 52 pts) Road Record (8-8-6)
Opponent: Los Angeles Kings (29-13-3 61 pts) Home Record (15-7-1)
Site: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Time: 9:30PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN)
Last Season Results: 10/19 Wild 1 @ Kings 2 11/26 Kings 4 @ Wild 0 3/28 Kings 1 @ Wild 4
Last results: Friday 10/16 Wild 1 @ Kings 2
It gets no easier for the Wild tonight as they head to the Staples Center to take on the Pacific Division leading Kings. The Kings took the first meeting back in October in overtime by a 2-1 score. Anze Kopitar scored the winner for LA, giving them their first win of the season, after they had dropped their first three games to start the season. Los Angeles has not looked back since going 29-10-3 from that point forward.
Last night the Wild finally got a lead as Jarret Stoll scored his 1st goal as a Wild player, 6:48 into the first period. The lead was short lived as former Wild winger, Chris Stewart redirected a Shea Theodore shot past Devan Dubnyk just under 4 minutes later. The teams traded opportunities in a scoreless second period. Rickard Rakell converted a Patrick Maroon pass for the eventual game winner at 13:41 of the third period. Minnesota never threatened after that, falling 3-1.
Mike Yeo used the extended practice time to tinker with the power play and then scrapped the changes after two failed powerplay attempts. The first opportunity saw the Wild get a couple really good looks, but no results. The second was not very good as they struggled to get any sustained zone pressure.
This is the team that is assembled for now and Yeo needs to start getting their compete level back to where it was in the early season. There is too much talent here to come out with such a low level of intensity.
The 2nd Ducks goal looked like the Wild were just going through the motions of a practice drill. They let the Ducks execute an uncontested breakout from their own zone. The goal initiated from deep in the Anaheim end, Lindholm to Maroon to Holzer, out of the zone to Rackell into the Wild zone, drop pass to Perry, cross ice pass to Maroon, back to the net for Rakell to redirect past Dubnyk.
Mike Yeo stood behind the Wild bench arms crossed like he was waiting for the game to end. He had nothing to say and appeared uninspired and his team was an extension of his demeanor. The fact that he did not pull Dubnyk during the late power play showed that he has no confidence in this group and that is getting to an unacceptable point.
I am not one to throw blame all in one direction but the leader needs to lead the group out of the funk. Mike Yeo, time to light a fire with this group.
Look for Darcy Kuemper to be in net as he has had some very good success in LA going 1-1-1 in three games their with a goals against average right around 1.00 in those 3 games. Jonathan Quick will be in the Kings goal, providing an even stiffer challenge to the struggling Wild offense.
It is time to simplify the game plan and just start shooting the puck to create opportunities. The only way out of a scoring funk is to get as many pucks on net and get traffic going there. The level of compete needs to be heightened and it has to come from within. The points bank has not had a deposit for five games while the gap between being inside the playoff cut line and out has dwindled to 3 points.
Let's Play Hockey!