But a Minnesota native stole his thunder once the puck dropped.

Arizona center – and another former Wild player – Nick Bjugstad, who grew up playing hockey in Blaine, Minn., scored his second career hat trick in a 6-0 shutout of the Wild.

“It felt good,” Bjugstad said. “It had been a while since I scored. That first one, it felt pretty good.

“Sometimes it just goes in for you. It was one of those nights.”

Nick Bjugstad scored 13 goals in a Wild sweater a couple of seasons ago. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

For the Wild, it was “one of those nights” in a completely different way as Minnesota was shut out on home ice for the second time in less than a week, dropping their fourth consecutive game to make it eight losses in the past nine games. The loss led to a players-only meeting following the game.

As of Saturday’s game, Bjugstad skated in 659 career NHL games. He has one four-point game to his name, plus five other three-point games. His one other hat trick came with the Florida Panthers on March 6, 2018, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bjugstad played in 101 games with the Wild in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. He scored 13 goals and 30 points wearing his home-state sweater.

He came into Saturday’s game with only six goals this season, his last tally coming Dec. 4 against Washington. But maybe the dam was just about to burst; he recorded eight shots on goal in the Jan. 11 game against Calgary but came up empty other than a single assist.

“You want to create volume,” Bjugstad said. “I’ve been in situations where I’ve been in some droughts. I just tried to stay even-keeled through all that. You just know eventually it’s going to go in.”

When Bjugstad completed his hat trick in the second period (with an assist from another former Wild player, Jason Zucker), hockey fans tossed a few hats onto the ice for the hometown player. There wasn’t much else to cheer about for the Wild faithful, other than the “t-shirt guy” pumping up the crowd with his hype moves.

As one would expect, the hat trick was all the more special for Bjugstad because it came in a building that he referred to as “the mecca” for him as a kid.

“I don’t really know how to put it in words,” Bjugstad said. “Yeah, it’s a fun one to have, and it’s a fun one to have with this team.”

PWHL Minnesota wraps up its first homestand, gets goals from alternate captains
One Minnesota professional hockey team still sits atop the league standings. That’s despite PWHL Minnesota (3-0-0-1) suffering its first loss of the season with a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of PWHL New York (2-1-2-0) on Sunday.

Roseville native and alternate captain Lee Stecklein scored her first goal of the season with a point shot that made it through traffic for a 1-0 lead in the first period. Another Twin Cities native, Kelly Pannek, of Plymouth, added to the lead with her first PWHL goal. Pannek’s tally started with her taking the puck into the zone, sliding it past two colliding New York players to get her all alone with the goaltender before firing her shot for a 2-0 lead in the first intermission.

PWHL Minnesota played its first overtime game on Sunday afternoon, against PWHL New York. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

“That was the best first period as a whole that we’ve had in the first, now four games,” Pannek, the other alternate captain, told Bally Sports North during the first intermission.

New York pressured more in the next two periods and eventually tied the game with a pair of power-play goals from Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge, who scored with 10:49 remaining in regulation.

Special teams were a huge factor in the game. Minnesota had an early 5-on-3 advantage for nearly a full two minutes. They also had another power play in the third period with the chance to regain their two-goal lead. The puck possession and offensive zone time were there, but the conversion was not.

“It’s just a little lack of finish,” said Minnesota coach Ken Klee. “We’re getting good looks.

“You get enough good looks, you’re going to score goals.”

Minnesota is 0-for-8 on the power play so far this season, standing as the only team that hasn’t cashed in on the power play.

Minnesota had a couple of prime chances to win the game in the 3-on-3 overtime, too. Taylor Heise just missed popping the puck over the goal line right in front. Then Grace Zumwinkle was hauled down on a scoring chance and was awarded a penalty shot. She couldn’t convert with 1:40 left in OT. Then 41 seconds later, the game was over when New York’s Emma Woods fired a shot that deflected high on the blocker side to beat Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney.

New York celebrated handing Minnesota its first loss of the season.

“They obviously came out hot,” Woods said. “But I think we just stayed in the game and battled. They’re a fast team and very skilled. We matched that tonight. It felt good to take them out of the win column for a bit.”

There’s still plenty to be excited about with PWHL Minnesota as the season is now a couple of weeks old. Minnesota has also scored first in all four of its games and has yet to allow a first-period goal this season while scoring six goals of their own in the first frame.

Minnesota still remains the only PWHL to win on home ice thus far. Minnesota leads the PWHL in points with 10; it’s three points for a regulation victory, two points for an overtime victory and one point for an overtime loss.

Minnesota opened the season in Boston before playing their last three at Xcel Energy Center. After a record-breaking crowd for a professional women’s hockey game of 13,316 for the home opener, Minnesota drew 4,707 fans for Wednesday night’s game before another solid 7,951 on Sunday afternoon, closely filling up the lower bowl.

“Every game we’ve played here, we’ve had a fantastic crowd,” said Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. “Definitely have the best crowd in the league, that’s for sure. They showed up.”

The post Minnesota Hockey Weekend appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Mosaic Hockey Collective players take part in a shootout competition during first intermission at Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 9, 2023. (Jeff Wegge/Minnesota Hockey Magazine)

“I think for me, I was just set out to normalize black and brown faces in hockey,” Meredith Lang said. “I just wanted them to know that they have a place.”

Mosaic Hockey Collective is a newly formed 501©3 focused on building an inclusive hockey community that empowers players of color with skills, resources and positive experiences to grow and give back to the game.

Lang, a 2022 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award finalist, said she doesn’t want any player of color to quit playing hockey or feel like the sport isn’t for them because of bad experiences.

“I don’t want to lose one kid,” Lang said. “So to me, the motivation is I understand the culture. We can support and say, ‘no, we’ve got you.’”

Mosaic Hockey Collective, though relatively new, has already had a few events, including a clinic with the Augsburg women’s hockey team in January, Matt Dumba’s Hockey Without Limits event in Roseville on Feb. 20 and Black History Night with the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 9.

At the first intermission of that Wild game, youth players involved with Mosaic Hockey Collective took part in a shootout competition at both ends of the ice. Some of the goal-scoring moves were pretty impressive and drew boisterous cheers from the crowd. They practiced their deking moves all week leading up to that night, and the goalies worked on having their A-games, too, Lang said.

Lang made the “Let’s Play Hockey!” call prior to puck drop for that matchup between Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild that night. She was joined at the microphone by her daughters, Aubrey and 11-year-old Mia Lang, both hockey players.

When Aubrey asked about playing hockey nearly a decade ago, Meredith, a former Richfield High School hockey player, was a little confused, since they didn’t talk about hockey.

“’What do you know about hockey? And why?’” Lang asked her daughter. “I’m blessed that I did play a little bit. But I had my high school friends, and I could just call them up and say, ‘my kid wants to play hockey. What does that mean? What do I do?’”

Within a week, her daughter was all set with equipment, learning to skate and getting placed on a hockey team. That’s not a path that every family in Lang’s community is fortunate enough to be on, however.

But Lang does have some of that knowledge, thus she started Hockey Ninas and Minnesota Unbounded before moving on to starting Mosaic Hockey Collective in December 2022. This program also incorporates boys, as Mosaic includes girls and boys from the BIPOC community who are hockey association players from around Minnesota. Mosaic represents about 30 communities in the Twin Cities metro area but also have families from Fargo and Wisconsin involved.

“They want to play the game at the highest level, whatever that is for them,” Lang said. “And we are able to provide amazing experience for them, development opportunities.”

Wild defenseman Matt Dumba and Aubrey Lang at Dumba’s Hockey Without Limits event on Feb. 20, 2023. (Submitted photo)

At the heart of Mosaic is the community of youth hockey players and their families who all love hockey. It’s made up of boys and girls who play association hockey in the age range anywhere from U6 to high school. Mosaic wants to hit the demographic because these are kids who are invested in hockey but need help getting to whatever their next level may be, like development, a next-level opportunity or exposure.

It’s also important for the kids in Mosaic to see that there are other kids who look like them who play hockey.

“Honestly, not to exaggerate, but I do think it’s life changing for these kids,” Meredith said.

Mosaic will have weekly developmental practices for kids on the ice from April through August, along with some guest coaching. Jason Poitra’s three daughters, who play hockey in Edina, are involved in Mosaic. He’s excited about the new venture.

“I think this is great, what’s going on. I really do,” Poitra said. “It opens a lot of eyes for whoever is on the outside looking in. I think it’s great.”

Poitra, a native American, grew up a hockey player in South Minneapolis before moving to White Bear Lake. Being part of Mosaic is personal for him, and it’s an organization he wished he would have had growing up.

“Specifically to make things more comfortable as a minority kid playing the game of hockey, which is predominantly dominated by, is a white sport,” Poitra said. “And that’s just the truth.”

Mosaic’s main mission is to continue to grow the game of hockey and have it be a more inclusive sport and representative of players of color.

“When we look at teams, there’s maybe one boy or girl of color on a team,” said Michael Hafertepe, a Mosaic Hockey Collective board member. “So it’s really about trying to bring awareness that kids of color can play hockey.”

Mosaic is also about shrinking the game for these young players so that they can have some of these great experiences, like playing on the Xcel Energy Center ice sheet, to help fuel them, Lang said.

“We believe that the more positive experiences they have, the longer they’re going to play, the longevity that they’re going to have,” Lang said. “Then they are going to cycle through and they are going to end up growing the game.”

Mosaic Hockey Collective players at Matt Dumba’s Hockey Without Limits event on Feb. 20, 2023. (Submitted Photo)

Part of Mosaic Hockey Collective’s mission is for these kids to be involved with the sport of hockey in more ways than playing the game. The initiative is all-encompassing surrounding hockey, helping to open doors for kids.

The faces of Mosaic will also be hockey coaches, referees and members of a hockey-team front office.

“That’s how we’re going to grow the game, and that’s our initiative,” Lang said.

Hafertepe, a Richfield native (adopted from Korea as a baby) who played hockey growing up and is now a U15 coach in Lakeville, started working with Lang a couple of years ago when she started Minnesota Unbounded. One of the fun parts of Mosaic Hockey Collective is recruiting kids when his teams are out playing games, to help build the Mosaic community.

“Then it’s just helping get those players to whatever level, next level they want to get to,” Hafertepe said. “Whether that’s college hockey, whether that’s high school hockey. Whether that’s making the next A team. That’s what we’re here for.”

The post Mission: Mosaic appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“The team will tell me what direction we’re going to go,” Guerin said. “If we’re flying high and we’re doing really well, then we’ll talk about making moves and seeing if we can improve. Or maybe we’ll just stay the same. I don’t know. If we’re not doing well, then we’ll have to talk about what to do with that.”

At the time, the Wild were sitting in third place in the Central Division with 50 points. That night, Guerin’s team played a far-from-perfect game but escaped with a 2-1 win over visiting Arizona and three days later opened a four-game trip with a two-goal win at Washington.

The Wild haven’t won since.

Losses at Carolina (5-2), Florida (5-3) and Tampa Bay (4-2) followed, leaving the Wild one point behind the suddenly hot Avalanche (six consecutive wins) and a point outside the final wild card spot in a very competitive Western Conference.

There is still more than a month before the March 3 trade deadline, but Wild players continue to send Guerin mixed messages in this roller-coaster season. There is a temptation to think Guerin should add a scorer to plug into the Top Six and give winger Matt Boldy another skilled guy to skate alongside. That might help the Wild get into the playoffs, but would it be enough to win a first-round series for the first time since 2015?

Forty-six games into the season, there are some disturbing things about the Wild that can’t be dismissed. One of them is a dramatic drop in scoring by a few players. Winger Marcus Foligno, who had a career-high 23 goals and 42 points in 74 games in 2021-22, has four goals and 14 points in 37 games this season. Jordan Greenway, who plays on the wing opposite Foligno, has only two goals and six points while being limited to 29 games.

Then there is veteran Ryan Hartman, who spent last season as the center for the Wild’s top line with wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The 28-year-old responded with a career season, accumulating 34 goals and 65 points in 82 games. He also was a plus-31.

If that was a dream season for Hartman, this one has been a nightmare. He was demoted off the top line to wing early in the season after a rough start and then suffered a significant shoulder injury in a fight in Chicago in the Wild’s ninth game. Hartman missed six weeks before returning and has only  five goals and 14 points in 25 games. He’s a minus-2 playing on a line with Boldy and center Frederick Gaudreau.

That’s not the only issue for Hartman. He also can’t stay out of the penalty box, much to the dismay of coach Dean Evason. Earlier this season Evason basically threatened Hartman with being a healthy scratch during a postgame press conference but didn’t follow through on that.

Struggling Minnesota forward Ryan Hartman’s lack of discipline has drawn the ire of Wild coach Dean Evason. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

In the Wild’s loss Saturday in Florida, Hartman took a retaliatory penalty late in the second period that led to the Panthers taking a two-goal lead. Hartman then started a fight after getting out of the box. Evason kept his cool after that game, but when Hartman took two more minor penalties in Tuesday’s loss in Tampa Bay, Evason didn’t hold back. 

“It’s stupid. Absolutely stupid,” Evason said of the penalties.

It didn’t help that the winning goal from Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos had deflected off Hartman and past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in the third period.

The Wild will return home on Thursday to play Philadelphia and it will be interesting to see if Evason’s anger turns into Hartman spending a game in the press box. That would make sense considering defenseman Matt Dumba sat out the middle two games of the trip after he drew Evason’s ire one too many times with various mistakes.

Dumba is well respected in the Wild locker room and is one of the team’s alternate captains. So if Evason is going to send a message to a veteran like that, it makes sense to send one to the struggling Hartman.

The decision to scratch Dumba was interesting because he’s in the last season of a five-year, $30 million contract and it’s no secret the salary-cap strapped Wild likely can’t afford to bring him back. Dumba has a 10-team no-trade clause, but there are definitely teams interested in him. However, making him a healthy scratch would seem to decrease his value.

Nonetheless, that’s exactly what Evason did and you have to think Dumba might be gone sooner rather than later.

The question is will Guerin bring in immediate help to replace him or let this thing ride out as the Wild alternates between hot and cold? That’s assuming there is a hot streak around the corner and that might be a dangerous assumption.

While Kaprizov is a marvelous talent, the first line, centered by Sam Steel, is being shut down and the Wild had two five-on-five goals during their three-game losing streak. That’s not a new issue as the Wild are 27th in the 32-team NHL in five-on-five goals more than halfway through the season.

The trade deadline prices for guys like Vancouver center Bo Horvat, San Jose winger Timo Meier and others will be substantial and likely more than Guerin wants to pay considering the already present cap issues.

Meanwhile, it’s Evason’s job to get this group back on track and give his boss something to think about in the next month. More healthy scratches, line juggling and finding ways to get more speed and skill on the ice are all options. If those don’t work, Guerin might not have a tough decision at all in terms of how to proceed.

The post Proceeding With Caution appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Wild had a franchise-record 113 points thanks to 11 overtime wins, nine multi-goal comeback victories and an offense that finished fifth in the NHL by averaging 3.72 goals per game. That success — driven in large part by Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala — enabled the Wild to get away with finishing 16th in the league in goals given up per game (3.04).

Problem is Fiala’s 33 goals and 85 points were now in Los Angeles and the Wild’s attempts to get cute with the puck, and shirk defensive responsibilities, had resulted in an 0-3 start in which they were outscored 20-12. That eventually became a 7-8-2 start before the Wild accepted that other than Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, no one else on the roster had the ability to try to make skilled plays.

The Wild have rebounded nicely since a bad loss to Jake Guentzel and the Pens on Nov 17. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Coach Dean Evason finally got this message through after a 6-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 17 at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild have won 14 of 19 games since that time. This includes winning streaks of four and six games.

A 5-2 victory over the host St. Louis Blues on New Year’s Eve put the Wild at 21-13-2 and third in the Central Division with 44 points in 36 games, trailing Dallas (52 points in 38 games) and Winnipeg (47 points in 37 games).

So what is the biggest thing that has changed?

In the Wild’s first 17 games, they surrendered 3.12 goals per game — a higher figure than they gave up last season. That wasn’t going to work since the Wild was only scoring 2.8 goals per game. But Evason’s team has flipped the numbers since their hot stretch began and are now averaging 3.14 goals per game and giving up 2.81. The latter figures puts them 11th in the NHL and the former 18th.

It helps that the Wild have gotten healthy with Ryan Hartman and Jordan Greenway returning and Matt Dumba’s play on the blue line improved after a rough start. Defenseman Jared Spurgeon continues to be an important presence, almost always making the right play at the right time in front of Marc-Andre Fleury or Filip Gustavsson. The Wild also added a much-needed presence to the locker room in late November by acquiring winger Ryan Reaves from the New York Rangers.

Reaves has settled into a spot on the fourth line and while he only has four assists in 17 games since joining the Wild, his large presence (6-2, 225 pounds) accomplishes a couple of things. The 35-year-old winger gives the team the type of personality and vocal leader that seemed to be lacking. On the ice, Reaves’ presence creates extra space for everyone because no one wants to fight a guy who has dropped the gloves 77 times in his 13-year career.

Ryan Reeves has had a subtle, but effective, impact on the Wild since his Nov. 23 arrival from New York. (MHM Photo / Jonny Watkins)

Reaves only fight since arriving on Nov. 23  came against the Red Wings’ Ben Chiarot and that was only because Chiarot was spontaneously sticking up for a teammate that Reaves had crushed. Reaves easily won the fight in a Wild victory, one of 12 he has been around for since being acquired.

The most recent victory — the Wild will play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday — was in St. Louis. The Wild have had their struggles against the Blues, including being eliminated by St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs last season, but beat them in St. Louis during the regular season for the first time since November 2018. Hartman, who has only played in 15 games, scored twice to bring his total to four goals and is playing on a work-man like line with center Frederick Gaudreau and winger Matt Boldy. Third-line winger Marcus Foligno and fourth-line center Mason Shaw also returned from injury-related absences in St. Louis.

“I think some teams can be one line, two lines, three lines, we can’t. We’re a four-line team,” Evason said. “Sure, Kirill, Zuccy, Steeler (first-line center Sam Steel) get a little bit more, or Kirill and Zuccy get 20 minutes a night, but after that the distribution of our minutes are pretty even and that’s how we have to play. We want to roll like that. We want to play as a group and a team. The nice thing is the players are committed to that as well.”

The St. Louis win was impressive in part because it came two nights after the Wild lost, 4-1, to the Stars at Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota’s first defeat at home in more than a month was the result of giving up three third-period goals against a more opportunistic opponent. Evason, who had been searching for answers early in the season, had no such problem after this defeat and was rewarded in St. Louis.

“This is a tough building,” Evason said ending 2022 with a victory. “I don’t care what (the Blues’) record is at. It’s a good team, they’re good players, they’re well coached. I think everybody was motivated to see where we’re at and we’re excited with the outcome.”

The post New Year, New Outlook appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Wild forward Tyson Jost (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

When it comes to trade success for the Wild, the 2022 trade deadline has entered the chat.

The Wild were one of the top and hottest teams in the NHL headed into the All-Star Break this year. Despite a stretch where the Wild lost six-of-seven games in late February, Wild general manager Bill Guerin showed the faith he has in this team and its ability to win by being very active at the deadline, gaining four players to help the team’s playoff push and potential playoff run.

“This is my first time at a trade deadline where we’re going for it, in a sense,” said Wild alternate captain Marcus Foligno. “You usually stay pat, if it’s a good team. Or you’re trading away some guys.”

Indeed, this year’s Wild squad has felt different in many ways this year. That definitely includes the position they were in at the deadline. No need to trade away fan favorites, like a Jason Zucker of the past. This time, the Wild picked up young forward Tyson Jost from Colorado in exchange for Nico Sturm, then got veteran, physical forward Nicolas Deslauriers from Anaheim for a third-round draft pick. On the blue line, they picked up Jake Middleton from San Jose, dealing away goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen.

“I think the biggest thing with all these guys is they’re character people,” Foligno said. “And they really care about a team mentality.”

Down a goaltender, the splashiest move was the Wild landing reigning Vezina Trophy winner and 3-time Stanley Cup Champion Marc-Andre Fleury. The 37-year-old goalie came most recently from Chicago, has a victory against every NHL team and entered Minnesota with a career 511-297-85 record, 2.57 GAA, .913 save percentage and 71 shutouts in 928 career games. He won his first Wild start in overtime against Columbus on March 26.

“It’s pretty crazy to think of the career he’s put on,” said Wild captain Jared Spurgeon. “And he’s still playing at such a high level.”

New Minnesota goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

So is Cam Talbot, as it turns out. The top netminder went 0-4 allowing 17 goals over that stretch during the Wild’s skid in late February. It created some angst among Wild fans about the goaltending situation. But after Fleury was acquired, Talbot shut out Vegas, then made 42 saves in an overtime win against Colorado on Sunday for his seventh-consecutive victory.

Having a combination of Talbot and Fleury in the nets is a tandem every team would want, Spurgeon said.

“Just getting to know Flower the last couple days, the energy that he brings to the rink and just how much fun he has with it in practice, it’s contagious,” Spurgeon said. “And that’s awesome to have in the room.”

Foligno agreed that Fleury is the most energetic of the new deadline acquisitions. Fleury also knows what it takes to win the in the playoffs, as evidenced by his Stanley Cup runs with multiple teams. Contrast that to a guy like Deslauriers, a player who understands his role on the team wants to win and wants to play in his very first playoff game. Nine years in the NHL, it’s something Deslauriers hasn’t accomplished yet with Buffalo, Montreal or Anaheim.

Foligno and Deslauriers played for a few seasons together, at times on the same line, with the Buffalo Sabres. Deslauriers is the type of player who worked to earn his roster spot and eventually developed into a tough guy, according to Foligno. They’ve kept in touch over the years and supported each other in their careers, Foligno said. Their game styles are similar, with some offense mixed into their physical play. Deslauriers joked “what skill set?” when he arrived in Minnesota, then promptly scored a goal against Vegas in his first game in a Wild sweater, adding a jubilant celly on the ice to find his place as already a fan favorite.

Foligno knows bringing in Deslauriers will be a huge plus for a Wild team playing with more energy and physicality lately.

Stepping into the Wild locker room, it helps to have a familiar face like Foligno that Deslauriers can rely on. But besides that, the trade transition from what Deslauriers called a young team in Anaheim to a mature team in Minnesota has been very welcoming. That goes all the way from the players to the coaching staff, training staff and equipment managers, he said. Deslauriers felt like a member of the Wild team from day one, which isn’t something to take for granted.

Wild defenseman Jake Middleton (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“Just open arms,” Deslauriers said. “It was something special. Made my life so much easier.

“I can tell you it doesn’t happen everywhere. I played on a few teams. Yes, there’s some situations that it’s sort of easy, but this one was by far the easiest. … It was the easiest transition I’ve ever had in my career, for sure.”

Wild leaders like Foligno take pride in hearing that, though the winger added it all started at the top with ownership and especially Guerin, who’s really identified “what this room’s going to be like,” Foligno said. It’s a team mentality, which starts with Foligno, Spurgeon and alternate captain, Matt Dumba.

“We’ve created a culture here,” Foligno said. “It’s a welcoming culture. It’s one that we have a certain way of doing things. It’s doing the right things all the time, being professional, working hard. And if you don’t do that you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. We want everyone just to get along and be inclusive and have fun.”

There’s nothing better than seeing the entire team of players jelling together and having fun. Seeing players like Deslauriers come in at the deadline to see firsthand what a great locker room environment the Wild has only goes to show Foligno that they’re doing something right, Foligno said

The post Guerin Goes For It appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota had the tables turned on them Sunday night when former Wild players Mikael Granlund, Luke Kunin and their Nashville Predators teammates returned to Minnesota to pin a second-straight loss on the Wild, putting a damper on an emotional night in which long-time captain Mikko Koivu’s No. 9 was retired. 

Nashville captain Roman Josi scored twice, including a critical power-play goal 1:05 into the third period, and goaltender David Rittich turned away 26 of 28 Minnesota shots to lift the Predators to a 6-2 win before a purely coincidental 19,009 at Xcel Energy Center. Matt Boldy and Jordan Greenway each tallied for the Wild while Minnesota goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen allowed four goals on 23 shots. 

“This is as special a night as possible and it kind of sucks,” Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba said. “But we’ll put it behind us, have a good night with with our old teammates and celebrate Mikky.”

Mikko Koivu poses in front of his number retirement banner with his mother, Tuire, his father, Jukka, and his children Kasper, Sofie and Oskar on Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center. (MN Wild/photo by Bruce Kluckhohn)

In a moving pre-game ceremony hosted by Bally Sports North’s Wild play-by-play voice Anthony LaPanta, Koivu’s parents and children were on hand along with his brother, Saku, and niece, Ilona. Niklas Backstrom and Kyle Brodziak were among several former teammates in the building but they represented the group on the ice while Wild owner Craig Leipold and GM Bill Guerin rounded out the dignitaries. 

Wild fans watched via the scoreboard video screen as the guest of honor emerged through the wooden doors of the team dressing room, walk the short hallway to the bench and onto the ice as he had done so many times before in uniform. The roar of the crowd crescendoed with each stride until it peaked as he appeared in the arena, acknowledging the fans’ love with waves as he made his way to his seat.

Leipold spoke first and relayed the story of Koivu receiving the captaincy for the first time while Guerin presented Koivu with a custom Rolex engraved watch. Backstrom and Brodziak presented framed montage of images representing Koivu’s career in Minnesota before current Wild captains Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba and Marcus Foligno bestowed a new set of custom-fitted golf clubs upon Koivu.

In a touching speech, interrupted several times by cheers and random shouts of “we love you” from from fans, Koivu could hardly have left anyone out as he thanked his family, teammates, coaches, GMs, support personnel, Leipold and, most of all, the fans of ‘The State of Hockey.’

“Having my jersey number retired by the Minnesota Wild is a greater honor than I know how to say … in English or in Finnish,” Koivu said in his speech.

Nashville’s Mikael Granlund and Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon await the ceremonial puck drop by former teammate Mikko Koivu prior to Sunday night’s game at Xcel Energy Center. (MN Wild/photo by Bruce Kluckhohn)

All fans in attendance received commemorative “Koivu 9” replica banners and Wild players donned special Koivu #9 jerseys for on-ice warmups. 

Koivu dropped the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff flanked by former teammates Mikael Granlund, now a Nashville Predators assistant captain, and Spurgeon, the chosen heir to Koivu’s Wild captaincy.

Selected in the first round (No. 6 overall) in the 2001 NHL Draft, Koivu scored his first NHL goal Nov. 6, 2005 against Jean-Sebastian Giguere and the Anaheim Ducks. Koivu was named the team’s first full-time team captain on Oct. 20, 2009 and followed that up a day later with a goal, an assist and the shootout winner to beat the Colorado Avalanche. 

Mikko Koivu surveys the landscape during a break in an Oct. 6, 2018 game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Koivu became first player to skate 1000 games in a Minnesota Wild sweater on Dec. 1, 2019 when he tallied the decisive goal in a shootout win over the Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center. In 1,035 games over 16 NHL seasons (2005-2021), Koivu recorded 711 points (206-505–711) with 594 OIM and a plus-68 rating.  His 1028 games played, 504 assists, 709 points, 2,270 shots and 252 power-play points all rank first in franchise history. 

Koivu finished his career with a brief seven-game stint as a Columbus Bluejacket to begin the 2020-21 season where he registered his final goal and assist. 

The Wild got off to an adrenaline-fueled start, notching the game’s first five shots, but Filip Forsberg netted Nashvilles’s first shot of the game at the 8:24 mark of the first period for a 1-0 Predators lead. Less than five minutes later, however, Wild rookie Matt Boldy pounced on a loose puck along the goal line to Rittich’s left and buried his 12th of the season from a sharp angle with assists from Freddy Gaudreau and Kevin Fiala. 

Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon battles Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm as Predators forward Eeli Tolvanen lurks behind. (MN Wild/photo by Bruce Kluckhohn)

The 1-1 score held up until near the midpoint of the second period when Josi skated straight up the slot, completely unimpeded, and slipped a backhand shot between Kahkonen’s glove and the top of his left pad at 8:44. But Minnesota answered back at 11:10 with Jordan Greenway’s fifth goal of the year on a power move to the net from the left circle, beating Rittich inside the far post. 

Unfortunately for the the evening’s festivities, it took just 50 seconds for Nashville’s fourth line to answer when Philip Tomasino jumped on a juicy Kahkonen rebound to score into a wide-open net for his ninth of the season.

Evason twice pulled Kahkonen for an extra attacker but that only resulted in an empty-net goals by Forsberg at 17:42 and Nick Cousins at 19:31.

Greenway said, win or lose, the ceremony was a great recognition of what Koivu meant to the franchise.

“Obviously, we would have liked to get the win for him, it would have made the night that much better,” Greenway said. “But when it comes down to it, that’s a once in a lifetime thing you’re able to be a part of and it’s inspirational … Even with a loss, it’s incredible and something that will definitely be celebrated.”

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Caufield shared that sentiment with many in the state of hockey at the time, wanting to see the 2019 NHL first-round pick Matt Boldy make his NHL debut. Caufield, who was called up and made a splash with the Canadiens in the postseason last year, was teammates with Boldy on the U-17 and U-18 U.S. National Teams.

Wild rookie winger Matt Boldy (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Boldy was a game-time decision for the Wild that night but ultimately didn’t get the nod for his first NHL game until about seven months later, and in memorable fashion. The 20-year-old got the call prior to the Wild’s game in Boston on Jan. 6, 2022, near his hometown of Milford, Mass.

It’s exciting enough playing in your first game, and in front of parents, family and friends, but Boldy added the cherry on top when he scored a goal in the second period on a pretty passing play from Marcus Foligno. Boldy raised both arms in the air in celebration before his teammates surrounded him.

“It was a surreal moment for sure, having it here with all my friends and family,” Boldy said after the game. “I think I blacked out after I scored.”

Wild defenseman and alternate captain Matt Dumba told Boldy that Jonas Brodin also had the secondary assist on Dumba’s first NHL goal, during a 5-1 victory over Dallas on Oct. 12, 2013 with the Wild.

“Just kind of crazy how that can happen so many years later,” Dumba said.

Boldy certainly left his mark on Wild and NHL history with his goal. He’s only the third Massachusetts-born player in NHL history to tally a goal in his NHL debut in Boston; he’s the first to do it while playing for the visiting team. Boldy is also the second Wild player in as many seasons to score in his debut. The other, of course, is Kirill Kaprizov who joined the league last year.

Boldy signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wild on March 30, 2021, following his sophomore season with Boston College, where he led his team in all scoring categories last season. He scored a point in 11-of-14 games with the Iowa Wild last year, netting 6 goals and 18 points.

Scoring in his debut is nothing new. Boldy scored a power-play goal in his professional hockey debut with Iowa on April 9 last spring. He also added an assist on a goal by Calen Addison, another player who suited up for the Wild on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals at Xcel Energy Center.

Wild rookie winger Connor Dewar (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

With two of the team’s top prospects called up for NHL debuts in the same game in Boston, much of the focus was on Boldy and Marco Rossi. But it was rookie Connor Dewar that Wild coach Dean Evason praised highly for that game. Evason acknowledged that Boldy and Rossi were ready to play and make the step from Iowa to the NHL.  

“Having said that, Dewar probably had the best game of anyone,” Evason said at Friday morning’s practice.

Dewar made his NHL debut Oct. 28 in Seattle but had gone without a point in his first four NHL games, until Thursday when he registered an assist on a Nico Sturm goal.  

Boldy, Rossi and Dewar are all shining bright spots for the Wild during a time that’s been anything but a sunshine-filled stretch of the 2021-22 season for Minnesota.

A month ago, the Wild were the best team in the NHL after a 5-2 win in San Jose gave Minnesota an eight-game winning streak. It accumulated 39 points in 26 games through Dec. 9, going 19-6-1. They led the second-place St. Louis Blues by seven points in the Central Division.

Since then, the adversity train crashed into the Wild franchise with everything from a season-long losing streak to postponed games to injuries and COVID-19 protocols for key players.

The Wild followed up the winning streak with the five-game losing streak that actually went from Dec. 11 through the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Target Field (a rough 6-4 loss to the Blues).

Even when the Wild responded to break the losing string, winning 3-2 in Boston, it still left a sour taste because Kaprizov was injured with a hit into the boards from Trent Frederic that Evason repeatedly called “not a hockey play.”

Kaprizov missed at least Saturday’s game, and he wasn’t alone on the sidelines. Joel Eriksson Ek was still out after being injured in Dallas. Brodin missed the Winter Classic in COVID-19 protocols before returning to the lineup in Boston. But he was out again with an injury. Nick Bjugstad left practice earlier in the week and will be out with a long-term injury, according to Evason. No. 1 goaltender Cam Talbot was pulled in the Winter Classic because of injury. Brandon Duhaime, Jordan Greenway and Alex Goligoski all missed Saturday’s game in various stages of COVID-10 protocols. Captain Jared Spurgeon has missed the most time, sidelined with a lower-body injury.

“We all are trying to make the best of it,” Evason said. “Our group has done a tremendous job of not letting those distractions affect us as a group. We go out, we play hard, we play right. Hopefully, that’s enough to give us an opportunity to have success.” 

Wild rookie center Marco Rossi (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Some players might be back sooner rather than later, and with more postponed games ahead, the time could end up benefiting the Wild in the short-term as they try to get healthy players back in the lineup. Still, fresh faces are getting chances to step in and step up.

“I’ve always found that when you’ve got a depleted lineup, guys step up and that’s really when you find out a lot about your team,” Dewar said.

Saturday’s lineup against the Capitals included Boldy, Rossi, Dewar and Kyle Rau scattered on the forward lines. Addison and Dakota Mermis played on the blue line.  

None of the youngsters factored into the Wild’s goals on the scoresheet – with the first goal credited to Foligno for his 100th career tally but was really an own-goal by Washington on a delayed penalty with the goaltender pulled – but that didn’t mean they weren’t noticeable in good ways.

Boldy played more than 20 minutes, was a plus-2 with a takeaway and blocked shot. His only shot on goal came with less than five minutes left in regulation, but he wove his way through three Capitals players in the zone to drive the net and get a backhanded shot off. He also made a between-the-legs pass from behind the net to a teammate as the Wild pressured late with the extra attacker.  

Rossi had three shots on goal. So did Dewar, who showed he’s being more aggressive in taking shots and driving the net in his 11:47 on the ice.

“You praise Boldy and Marco (Rossi) for what they’ve done, and they’ve been playing great for us, smart players at a young age,” Foligno said. “Those guys want to stay here. And then you throw in, I thought Dewar played awesome tonight.

“Just all those guys are bringing it and buying in.”

The post Next Man Up appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“She didn’t stick out,” said Natalie Darwitz, Gophers women’s hockey assistant coach who watched the practice. “She fit right in and looked like one of the guys. It’s a huge compliment to Crystalyn.”

Crystalyn Hengler celebrating a Section 2AA title with Eden Prairie in 2018 and in her current role on the Gopher blue line. (MHM Photos / Rick Olson)

Hengler kicked off the weekend as the female hockey player invited to skate with the Minnesota Wild during the team’s practice Friday morning at TRIA Rink. She got in on some of the early drills with the Wild.

“It was an awesome experience,” Hengler said. “They’re really fast-paced. They’re bigger than I thought they would be when watching them on TV.”

She talked a lot with Wild assistant coach Bob Woods about various drills the Wild runs during practice. Woods talked to her about things he wants the defensive corps to work on, Hengler said.

“That was actually really helpful,” Hengler said. “I can bring some stuff back to college with me and share those things with my teammates.”

The Gophers women’s hockey team is 14-5-1 overall this season, with Hengler a staple on the blue line. She has two goals and seven points in the 20 games, and 10 goals, 32 points in 112 career games at Minnesota. She had a pair of assists in the team’s last victory, a 2-1 score over Minnesota-Duluth on Dec. 11.

Hengler is an offensive defenseman going back to her five years with Eden Prairie High School when the 2018 Minnesota Ms. Hockey semifinalist scored 27 goals and 108 points in 147 career games. She helped lead the team to state multiple times, including to a Class 2A state title in 2016.

She brings a super skillset to the Gophers blueline, with a quick-release shot to get pucks to the net efficiently, Darwitz said.

“Off the ice, she’s just a super character person,” Darwitz said. “Does things the right way, is a great teammate. Just a joy to coach.”

One Wild player Hengler particularly connected with Friday was defenseman Matt Dumba. Hengler said Dumba asked about her ethnicity, and the two had a perfect vantage point to see all the young girls from Minnesota Unbounded watching in the stands.

“I think it was pretty cool when you’re sitting with another person of color on the bench looking out into the stands full of color, different shades, faces, races,” Dumba said. “It’s sometimes a real lonely feeling being in a hockey world, being different. To see that gave me a smile and warmed my heart to see these girls here today.”

Wild defenseman Matt Dumba enjoys a chat with Hengler at Friday’s practice at Tria Rink. (Photo courtesy of Jessi Pierce / NHL.com)

Friday, Hengler had a lot of support in the stands and along the glass from many of her Gophers teammates, three of her coaches, her mom and her brother. One of those coaches was Darwitz.

Hengler was also supposed to make the “Let’s Play Hockey!” call before the Florida Panthers versus Minnesota Wild game Saturday afternoon, but that game was postponed due to Covid-19 safety protocols issues involving the Panthers. The plan is to have Hengler make the call, along with holding the other Girls’ Hockey Weekend activities, whenever the make-up game gets scheduled.

The Girls’ Hockey Weekend clinics for girls’ hockey players went on as scheduled Friday night and Saturday afternoon (moved up after the postponed Wild game) at Xcel Energy Center. About 50 girls each for the 8U, 10U and 12U levels participated in on-ice clinics and dryland training led by Minnesota Hockey personnel, and Minnesota Whitecaps and WCHA players.

Thirteen Gophers women’s players helped with the clinics Friday night alone, Darwitz said. They volunteered “without batting an eye,” and during their finals week, too, she said. It didn’t take much prodding from Darwitz.

“I said to our team, ‘hey, you have no idea that little eyes that are on you,’” Darwitz said. “’Male, female, it doesn’t matter. They want to emulate you and be wearing the same sweater you are and do the same moves you are doing.

“’Getting out there in the public eye and doing these camps and clinics, not only is it going to do so much for you, it’s going to do now triple for the game and those little girls.’”

Hengler is the fifth player from the Gophers women’s hockey program to skate with the Wild, though she’s the first one to participate while still a collegiate player. Krissy Wendell skated in 2017, followed by Hannah Brandt in 2018 and Lee Stecklein in 2019.

Darwitz was retired when asked to be part of the inaugural Girls’ Hockey Weekend in 2016.

“I told Wayne Petersen of the Wild that I was able to set the bar low for everybody else,” Darwitz joked.

Minnesota Unbounded players following Crystalyn Hengler’s every move during Friday’s Minnesota Wild practice at Tria Rink. (Photo courtesy of Jessi Pierce / NHL.com)

Watching Hengler brought back memories of that weekend for Darwitz. It all comes back to growing the game, and both Darwitz and Hengler acknowledged how great it is that the Wild put together a weekend like this, since few organizations do. Having Hengler skate with the Wild is a way to help grow the game, too. It’s all about having role models to look up to and someone to emulate on the ice, Darwitz said, adding that for her it was Neal Broten until Cammi Granato came along.

“Now the same for people of color or different backgrounds,” Darwitz said. “They see Crystalyn out there and think, ‘you know, I can do this, too.’ So I think that’s pretty special.”

Hengler’s advice and encouragement for young girls playing hockey? Have fun.

“I’ve grown some lifelong friends through the sport throughout my time playing it,” Hengler said. “Just have fun with it. Don’t be too serious, especially at a young age. Just find the little things that make you happy when you play.”

The post This One’s for the Girls appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“We want to have fun, but we’re still working,” said Wild head coach Dean Evason. “We haven’t had a lot of practice time. It was work today, but it was also clearly fun to be outside and to have the fans. As we’ve talked about, our fans have been absolutely incredible all year.”

Those incredible Wild fans who showed up for the outdoor practice two seasons ago have seen this Wild roster go through some major changes.

It’s amazing how much has happened since the Wild last hosted an outdoor, open-to-the-public practice on Jan. 2, 2020. The most obvious item, of course, is the global pandemic that changed everything before that season was over.

But looking at the Wild team specifically, so much is different. In January 2020, Bruce Boudreau was still the Wild’s head coach. Though he was fired on Valentine’s Day that year. There was also a ton of buzz at the ROC (Recreation Outdoor Center) at the time with the official announcement of the NHL Winter Classic coming to Target Field. That game was originally scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021 before the pandemic canceled those plans.

Following the announcement and practice in early 2020, the media talked with Boudreau and a few players to get their thoughts on the exciting news of playing outdoors. Zach Parise said the Winter Classic coming to Minnesota was “a little overdue.” Ryan Suter reflected on the Wild’s Stadium Series game in 2016 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Eric Staal, 35 years old at the time, looked forward to the Winter Classic having never played in an outdoor NHL game.

That trio no longer wears Wild sweaters. Neither do Devan Dubnyk, Mikko Koivu or Jason Zucker, who played in the Stadium Series game. Only captain Jared Spurgeon and alternate captain Matt Dumba remain from that 2016 squad that played in the Stadium Series. Dumba scored the game’s first goal in a 6-1 Wild win at then-TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota.

The loss for guys like Staal, Suter and Minnesota-native Parise looking to play that Winter Classic is the gain of Minnesota products Nick 

Bjugstad and Alex Goligoski. Bjugstad grew up playing hockey for Blaine High School while defenseman Goligoski represents the North out of Grand Rapids.

“It’s kind of crazy that we get to play an outdoor game in Minnesota with my hometown team,” Bjugstad said. “I’m sure that’ll sink in probably a few days before. That excitement’s there.”

For now, Bjugstad and his teammates got a taste of outdoor hockey at the ROC. It was a typical Wild practice, until the end when players tossed souvenir pucks into the stands for eager fans. The players talked about how perfect the weather would be if they could copy/paste this for Jan. 1. Conditions were so perfect that bundling up in layers wasn’t necessary, according to alternate captain, Marcus Foligno.

“We know it will probably be a little bit colder than today,” Foligno said. “We were all thinking about it (the Winter Classic) out there for sure.

“Obviously being in a bigger stadium. It’s the same thing, you step on that outdoor pond and you feel all the good jitters when you were young again. It brought back a lot of good memories today.”

Some players even stopped to greet fans or sign autographs on their way off the ice. A few players, like Goligoski and Jon Merrill, went back onto the ice afterward with their kids skating around and shooting at the net. Kirill Kaprizov didn’t come off the ice because he was busy passing a puck back and forth with a youngster donning a Goligoski jersey.  

With so many road games and a tiring travel schedule lately, the outdoor practice was a welcome break.

“When you step on the ice in front of the fans in this kind of scenario, you get that childhood feeling again,” Foligno said. “A lot of fun, a lot of smiles on guys’ faces today. We’re all looking forward to that Jan. 1 game.”

The rescheduled Winter Classic against the St. Louis Blues at Target Field will also mark the first time the event will be played in primetime. It’s the 14th anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic in Buffalo.

While Evason, Bjugstad and Foligno all agreed that weather conditions were just about perfect for outdoor hockey during Saturday’s practice, Minnesotan Bjugstad acknowledged it might be a different deal in January.

“You feel it out,” Bjugstad said. “Like I said, we’ve all had the cold feet, the cold fingers. I’m sure the adrenaline will just kick in, and it’ll be a game to remember.”

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“We loved how we responded,” Evason said Thursday. “It’s great to get seven goals, but we did it the right way. We played team-first. We weren’t extending our shifts. We weren’t individually trying to score. We were scoring the right way.”

Sixteen games into the season, the Wild (11-5-0) have played the right way more often than not. They’ve been in first place, or close to it, consistently in the Central Division. They’ve won 11 games, starting the year with a four-game winning streak before adding another four-gamer to start the month of November.

Seven of their first eight victories were considered comebacks, with thrilling sequences of last-minute, last-second goals in regulation to help the Wild to a perfect 4-0 overtime/shootout record. The Wild’s longest losing streak so far sits at two games, both 4-1 margins coming in their inaugural visit to Seattle and then in Colorado.

A lot of things have gone the Wild’s way so far this year. What’s really noticeable is the overall depth of the team. Perhaps no game was better evidence than the win over the Stars (6-7-2), which is also not too surprising in a game with seven goals for one team.

But it wasn’t like the Wild got a hat trick from Kirill Kaprizov, two goals from Kevin Fiala or even the majority of points from a dominant top line. No, the Wild celebrated seven different goal scorers on the ice, from rookies to veterans. All four lines produced scoring. Marcus Foligno was the only forward who didn’t register a point.

“We’re a great team all over,” said forward Mats Zuccarello. “Any line can score any game.”

Rem Pitlick, fresh off his natural hat trick Nov. 13 in Seattle, opened the scoring midway through the first period as he skated around the zone before elevating his shot from the top of the circles. Then Kaprizov made it 2-0 by the end of the first period with an easy open-net shot on the backdoor with a slick pass from Zuccarello.

That goal started a career-high, four-point night for Kaprizov, who added three assists by the time the night was over. None was more exciting to watch than his pass to Frederick Gaudreau who waited out in front of the net as Kaprizov was behind the net, facing the glass and spun a behind-the-back pass to his teammate for the 5-1 lead in the third period.

“You have to know that even though it doesn’t seem like he sees you, there’s good chances that he knows where you are,” Gaudreau said. “I just was ready on that (goal). … I was pretty sure he knew where I was.”

Kaprizov is the fourth Wild played in the past 15 years to record a four-point game at age 24 or younger, according to NHL Public Relations. Matt Dumba, Guillaume Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard were the others.

Evason shook up the lines for Thursday, putting Kaprizov on the third line with Gaudreau and reunited him with center Victor Rask. Kaprizov has been a target of some criticism from fans early this season for his lack of production in the goals column. He went goalless for the first eight games, though he still contributed assists.

Alex Goligoski’s three-point night helped lift the Wild over the Stars 7-2 on Nov. 18 (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But after waiting all summer before signing his five-year, $45 million contract, it seemed to come with some superstar-like expectations from a fanbase that was dazzled by his play in his first (partial) NHL season last winter. He’s had a few rough games this season, sometimes not even being that noticeable. Tuesday against the Sharks, he had no points and was a minus-2. He still leads the team in points (15) and assists (11) after Thursday.

When he’s on his game, however, he’s one of the best and most fun players to watch.

“I just try to play hockey, just try to play my game and do the best I could every single night,” said Kaprizov, through an interpreter.

Kaprizov and Zuccarello were split up on the lines for the most part against the Stars. But they were reunited briefly following penalty kills and it worked out. Zuccarello praised Kaprizov’s overall effort and play, despite criticism that he’s not scoring enough.

“I think sometimes you have to see beyond the goals and assists and see what he creates and how hard he works for our team,” Zuccarello said.

Only a minute and 1 second into the second period, the Wild took a 3-0 lead on Ryan Hartman’s team-leading eighth goal of the season when he jammed home a rebound on Goligoski’s wrap-around attempt. Goligoski had quite the night facing his former team. When the Stars made it a 3-1 game in the third period, Goligoski responded a few minutes later with his first goal in a Wild sweater, a shot from the point through traffic.

Goligoski had a three-point night with his pair of assists. He’s feeling more comfortable with his new team this season.

“It can take a little while,” Goligoski said. “New team. You play for the same coach for the past four years, so it’s a little different system and just chemistry with guys, where to put pucks. Everyone’s different.

“I felt good.”

Zuccarello made it 6-2 only 29 seconds after a Jamie Benn goal cut into the deficit again. Then 45 seconds later, Rask, back in action after being scratched for four games found a bouncing puck in front for the Wild’s seventh goal of the game, a season-high.

Getting him back in the lineup, Evason was pleased with Rask’s effort and urgency.

“It’s great to get points, obviously,” Evason said. “And it’s great that we scored some goals. But we saw a lot of people play the right way. Rasky played with urgency, got up and down the ice, checked very well.”

What’s so encouraging about the good position the Wild have put themselves in, and the depth they possess is that there’s still plenty of potential for more production and more improvement. There’ll be room for that as the team heads out for a three-game road trip ahead of Thanksgiving, that unofficial benchmark where NHL teams inside the playoff picture at Turkey Day often make the postseason in the spring.  

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