Wild Game Day 2015-16 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Game 2
Wild Series Record (0-1) Game 1 Wild 0 @Stars 4
Wild Regular Season Record (38-33-11 87 pts) 5th Place Central Division. #8 Seed Western Conference Home Record (21-16-4) Road Record (17-17-7)
Dallas Stars Regular Season Record (50-23-9 109 pts) 1st Place Central Division, #1 Seed Western Conference Home Record (28-11-2) Road Record (22-12-7)
All-Time Record vs. Dallas Stars 23-37-1 @ Dallas 7-23-1
Regular Season Results 11/14 Wild 2 @ Stars 3 (OT) 11/28 Stars 4 @ Wild 3 (OT) 12/21 Stars 6 @ Wild 3 1/9 Wild 2 @ Stars 1 2/9 Stars 4 @ Wild 3
Site: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Time: 7:00PM CT
TV: Fox Sports North (FSN) NBC Sports (NBCSN)
Game 1 is done and the Wild are down a game. No time to panic or to think the series is over. The goal when you start a series on the road is to get a split of the first two in the oppositions building. For that to happen though the Wild need to make some major adjustments.
The Wild need to find a way to generate more chances offensively while maintaining a tight defensive posture. The way to accomplish this is to take what Dallas gives them. That means any lane to the net the puck must go there, no extra moves no attempts to make the perfect seem pass. Everything must go to the net and the Wild forwards must create havoc in front of Stars goalie, Kari Lehtonen.
It is imperative that the Wild get off to a better start in the first period. The clear weakness of the Stars is in between the pipes and a very suspect defense corps. The Wild need to be more aggressive in the Stars zone and make sure that shot attempts get through to the net and when nothing is there be content to get it deep.
In game one, when the Wild were able to sustain pressure in the Stars zone they tried to make plays rather than to create scoring chances by putting pucks to the net. There were times in the second and third periods of game one that the Wild really looked like they had taken their game to a playoff level, but they could not cash in a goal, and ultimately that fizzled,
The Stars will get Tyler Seguin back tonight which should make the Stars offense that much more lethal, but not so fast. With Seguin out of the lineup the Stars really tightened up their defensive game, allowing just nineteen goals in the eleven games Seguin missed. So does Seguin's return actually make the Stars a bit more vulnerable? The Wild hold the answer to that question as their play of late has not exactly resembled an offensive juggernaut.
Tonight and every night the Wild need to simplify the game plan. The Wild forwards are not a creative group. They are all lunch pale guys and need to play a very structured game, protecting the puck when they have possession, and limit the Stars time and space when they don't. The Wild creativity comes from the backend and that is where the offense can come. The Wild defense is very mobile and really needs to step up and get involved in the offense when the opportunity presents itself.
The Wild did not play an awful game on Thursday night, despite the 4-0 defeat. Obviously they did not score and you can't win without scoring but they were in the game until late in the third period. The first two Dallas goals were the result of poor puck management by the Wild in the neutral zone which led to turnovers. That cannot happen if the Wild expect to change the course of this series tonight.
Discipline is another area where the Wild need to be better as they gave the Stars six powerplay opportunities in game one. Discipline is not just not taking penalties though, it is an overall team attitude which translates to how the team works, hustles, and competes to the highest level. That is the area where John Torchetti needs to step up his approach with his team.
Game two tonight, playoff hockey, there is no better time of the year. This is what teams play for and the Wild have an opportunity to make something of the 2015-16 season. No time to whine about injuries or personal feelings, it's time for the Wild to raise their level. The State of Hockey deserves a better effort from it's team.
Let's Go Wild!
Let's Play Hockey!