Ten games into the season and the Wild find themselves at a very solid 6-3-1 record. The team has been erratic at times but the results are positive. The injuries are starting to mount a little, but the timing may be perfect as the Wild are in the midst of a light schedule, playing just 4 games in a 14 day stretch. The Wild have some time to both heal and focus on some of the deficiencies that have plagued them through the first ten games of the Bruce Boudreau era in Minnesota.
For most that have not watched the Wild closely the record looks very strong, but as we dig deeper there are some areas that cause concern. The Wild have struggled getting out of the gate most nights scoring just five first period goals while being out shot by nearly a 3-2 margin in the opening frams thus far. The powerplay has struggled but is showing signs of improvement. After a slow start through the first six games the PP was operating at a dismal 10% clip (2 for 20). They have picked it up in the last four games going 3 for 9.
Opponents have outshot the Wild on average 29.4 to 26.1 thus far. Now shots don't always tell the whole story so I'm not one to put a lot of stock in the shot numbers. The takeaway here however, is the Wild are a team built on balance which generally requires a higher number of scoring chances to maximize results. For Minnesota to experience long term success they will need to generate more shots on net and get tougher through the middle of the ice.
Puck possession numbers are far too overrated. The better teams will absolutely possess the puck more and it needs to be a source of concern, but there are too many times that players become too concerned with puck possession and ultimately make a poor decision that leads to an odd man situation the other way, and worse a goal against.
The game Tuesday night is exhibit A for the puck possession poor decision result. With just over six minutes to play, Nate Prosser had the puck at center ice with an opportunity to put the puck deep into the Buffalo zone. He chose to hold it and attempt to make a play when there was no play at all to make other than the obvious dump it deep. We all know what happened next as Brian Gionta stole the puck in full flight burst across the Wild line and centered a perfect pass to a streaking Johan Larsson for the eventual game winner.
The neutral zone is where many games are won and lost and the issue isn't necessarily puck possession, it is more puck management. In order for the Wild to get to elite status they will need to be better at puck management and learn to take what their opponent gives them. The Wild strength begins in their own zone with strong goaltending and good team defense. The offense is a by-product of their strong D zone play combined with their balanced scoring attack. That is what makes the Wild a very tough opponent to play against, when they devitae from that formula they are an average team at best.
Line juggling is a constant with a team built the way the Wild are structured, with a different hero seemingly every night. The parts are interchangeable, but the challenge for Boudreau and staff is how to mix and match the talent to maximize the return.
The practice time comes at a very good point for the Wild as they have a 10 game body of work to reference. It is a long season, the peaks and valleys will come. The challenge is to limit the valleys while not becoming complacent during the peaks.