DENVER — The memorabilia of Saturday’s mud game in Nashville was the sight of the usually affable Marc-Andre Fleury sprinting off the ice and tomahawking the bench door with his stick as he was ejected. .
You couldn’t blame the future Hall of Famer for frustration, as he took 38 shots and had 19 dangerous chances during the 6-2 loss.
But what about Monday? During the matchup against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, Fleury faced just five shots. he was bored. But I’m proud.
“It was weird. It was a little cold,” Fleury said with a laugh. “‘What’s going on? We’re too good right now.’
The Wild’s 3-1 victory over Colorado at Ball Arena was important for many reasons. Minnesota is in danger of slipping back into the wild-card spot with one more loss, halting a three-game losing streak. After Nathan MacKinnon tied it late in the second, the Wild scored two quick goals in the third period to pull away, reinvigorating the building and showing resiliency.
They had lost eight of 15 games this season when they were tied after two periods (7-6-2). This includes recent losses to the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights.
“How many times have we gone into the third period (with a lead) and not gotten it?” asked defenseman Jake Middleton. “That was emphasized at the break, now let’s attack and come out on top.
“(We) were tired of it. We just wanted to win. We were tired of losing in the third period. We were tired of playing hard for 40 minutes and losing with 20 minutes left. I’m tired of it. Tonight, we accomplished that.”
The win proved what this group can do without its top three players in Kirill Kaprizov, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon if it plays a smart, structured game. It’s similar to the Avalanche playing without McKinnon, Devon Toews and Cale Makar.
“This was a total team effort,” Brock Faber said.
After Saturday’s loss in Nashville, coach John Hynes noted that his team hasn’t slowed down much. They met as a team at a hotel in downtown Denver. It wasn’t that wild kind of meeting, or the kind of meeting men would criticize.
“We talked about solutions,” Hines said.
One of them was playing with a more attacking mentality. They knew that constant forechecking and smart puck decisions were key against an Avalanche team loaded with weapons. They felt that the best defense was a good offense. And the Wild spent a significant amount of time in the offensive zone. The forwards did a great job back-checking, but MacKinnon and his team only penetrated the zone a few times without slowing down.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Wild gave up nine dangerous chances in all situations, compared to 19 in Nashville on Saturday.
“We always play really good defense,” Middleton said. “But what stuck us was we were strictly guarded in the defensive zone. We had a five-man unit in the offensive zone, and you could see us defending from there.”
“Playing in their zone makes it a lot easier on defense,” Faber said. “To get on top of them, it’s going to give us (defensemen) gaps. When all the pieces are clicking in the O-zone, we’re going to have to play with the ‘D’ being very aggressive.” can become. ”
Middleton got the Wild on the board with a shot from the point midway through the first. And David Jilicek, who impressed with his all-round play, almost gave away another point at the end of the period. Ryan Hartman threw a smooth behind-the-back pass that hit Jilicek’s stick at the back post. However, Mackenzie Blackwood made a spectacular save.
Mackenzie Blackwood. Oh my god. 😳
His flexibility is truly unparalleled. pic.twitter.com/RZDVT5wyNA
— NHL (@NHL) January 20, 2025
“Blackwood was making some crazy saves,” Fleury said. “It’s like, ‘Hmm, we need something.’ It’s fun to watch our guys play well. They gave us the best chance to win.”
After taking a 1-0 lead, the Wild had four power plays that looked dangerous, with McKenzie making saves on Jilicek and then Joel Eriksson Ek. . At some point, we knew the Avalanche’s top players were going to make a splash. McKinnon scored a highlight-reel goal late in the first half to advance the game, getting into a one-man zone and finishing a give-and-go with Samuel Girard.
“It’s inevitable,” Faber said. “He’s going to play his game. He’s one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world.”
That could really flip the momentum. However, Faber said they were calm and confident in the dressing room during the second intermission. Hines brought up the fact that he needs to keep attacking and keep the pressure on.
“If we continue to move in the right direction, we’re going to get some results and that’s going to frustrate them,” Faber said. “That’s exactly what we did. We came out hot and hung in there.”
The game-winning goal came just two minutes into the third. Jilicek made a great play off the boards, evading defenders and diving into the slot, where he found trailing Yakov Trenin and took a quick shot. Jilicek also posted a 72 percent Corsi performance and played on both ends.
“Smart play, great read at the blue line,” Middleton said. “Offensive contribution. He’s going to be a special player.”
Liam Ogren also had his best game as a member of the Wild, recording two assists and three shots in 9 minutes, 4 seconds of ice time.
“I thought (Ogren’s) speed, poise with the puck and decision-making were factors tonight,” Hines said. “He’s being given more chances and sometimes that’s what a young player needs. Up and down, playing, getting sent back, playing, getting more comfortable. (Monday) , I thought his identity as a player really came through.”
Liam Ogren and Brock Faber celebrate Faber’s third-period goal, which was the only goal for which Ogren did not earn an assist. (Ron Chenoy/Imagine Images)
The Wild will make roster decisions on Ogren and Jilicek when Kaprizov, Spurgeon and Brodin return, but Hines wasn’t sure if they would be available for Thursday’s game against Utah. But it says a lot about this group that they were able to get a big win on the road even without a superstar. The Wild are now 7-5 without Kaprizov, which includes an overtime win at Dallas and back-to-back road wins at Washington and Carolina. Minnesota is currently 4-10-1 against Western Conference playoff teams, but many of its recent games have been played without some of its top players.
This game against Colorado showed mental toughness and maturity. How quickly they were able to put the loss in Nashville behind them and focus on the details that will give them a better chance Monday.
“We have to come together on this issue. That’s what we talked about: ‘We have to find a solution,'” Hines said. “It’s about how we can play better, how we can give ourselves a chance to win tomorrow. Coaches and players have to work together, not just point things out, but come up with a plan. Our job is to stand up.
“We’re all in this together, and you have to hope that they understand it, accept it, and do it, and they certainly did that.”
(Top photo of Marcus Foligno and Nathan MacKinnon: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
