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Sellout Streak Ends As Wild Get 1st Home Win

October 21, 2019, 10:41 AM ET [2 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Wild got their first win on home ice yesterday as they overcame two Montreal one goal leads to prevail 4-3. In fairness yesterday's game was only the Wild's second home game of the season however given the way the team was playing any win is not a given.

Once again the Wild fell victim to the quick strike of their opponent when they yielded two Canadiens goals in 16 seconds turning the Wild 1-0 lead into a 2-1 deficit. In now seven of the eight Wild games played they have seen their opponent score multiple goals in short order and in all but yesterday's game the Wild were not able to overcome the hole that they created.

There was a lot more energy from the Wild which I am sure was due in part to the their players only meeting following the shutout loss in Montreal on Thursday. Some of it too can be attributed to the fact that the Canadiens had played in St. Louis on Saturday night and traveled, while the Wild were well rested.

Yesterday's home crowd was announced at 17,344, marking the end to the team's 251 game sellout steak that dates back to December 5, 2013. The streak spanned 230 regular season contests and 21 playoff games played at the XCEL Energy Center.

Jason Zucker backed up his words with the opening goal of the game off a nifty shot/pass from Mikko Koivu and added the primary assist on Zach Parise's game winner in the third period.

Things will not be fixed overnight with this Wild team as they look to dig themselves out of the one and six start. There were several bright spots most notably the emotion the team displayed competing from the opening draw to the final buzzer. The forwards were noticeably involved in the neutral zone and the Wild defensive zone reducing the number of high percentage scoring opportunities that have plagued the team thus far.

Jordan Greenway still needs to become more involved in the offense and of greater alarm with the big forward was his quick turnovers yesterday seemingly not wanting to hold the puck and pick his head up to make a play. Greenway must become a focal point in the Wild offense in order for this team to make significant strides forward. He is an imposing figure on the ice and has the tools to become a real force in the league.

To be honest the Wild are not a good team at the moment and trotting out the same veteran heavy lines will yield largely the same results that we have grown used to seeing through the first few weeks of the season. It would be far more palatable to see the kids getting more minutes than trying to piece together an effort to keep the game close and in the end wind up with the loss.

There are players that need to get more minutes and be confident that if and when they make a mistake that they will not have to ride the pines for long stretches as punishment. There are going to many tough days moving forward and the sooner the Wild figure it out and embrace the changes that must happen the better the organization will be.
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