3 Takeaways From the Wild’s Loss to the Rangers

The Minnesota Wild took on the New York Rangers on the road, Wednesday evening, Apr. 2. It was the second time these two teams faced each other in the past month, with the first going to the Rangers in overtime. The Wild had Declan Chisholm back in the lineup but still missed Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. The team received news that both players had good check-ups with their doctors and returned to Minnesota to continue rehab, which was the original plan. 

The Wild got a strong start and kept pushing the whole game despite some mistakes that should’ve cost them the game in regulation. The Rangers also made mistakes, so the game went into overtime, where the Rangers got the final goal. The game was sloppy on both sides, and in this article, we’ll look at how the Wild pulled out a point, starting with their goaltending. 

Wild’s Gustavsson Holds Team Together 

Despite starting in front, fighting to get back in the game, and losing, the Wild got a point in overtime thanks to Filip Gustavsson’s goaltending. He’s had his fair share of mistakes, but in this game he helped keep his team in it until the end. The first goal for the Rangers was scored because the Wild’s defense left the weak side open, and when Gustavsson made the initial save, he couldn’t get over in time for the rebound that his defense missed. 

The second goal was a rebound off a missed shot that the Wild defense couldn’t clear, and the shot snuck right over Gustavsson’s arm. The third goal was a turnover by a Wild defenseman that was almost scored by that same defenseman. Instead of clearing it out, he accidentally hit it at Gustavsson, and the Rangers player picked it up and scored. The fourth goal is the lone goal that Gustavsson maybe should have been better on, but again, it was a breakaway by Artemi Panarin, who is hard enough to stop when there are five players in front of him, let alone just a goaltender. 

The final goal could be considered the same as the fourth. Gustavsson could’ve been better, but it was also hard to stop in the situation. Regardless of the goals against, he continued to make big saves and kept his team in the game even after they gave up the lead several times. Hopefully, they can continue to rely on his play as they have all season. 

Wild’s Special Teams Success

Again, despite the loss, the Wild’s efforts on the special teams were rewarded on both sides of the puck. First, they were successful on the power play, and it was also Gustav Nyquist’s first goal of the season in a Wild jersey. They didn’t waste time on the perimeter for that power play. Instead, they made efficient passes and found the back of the net, and it was the second unit, not the first unit, who scored it. They went 50 percent on the power play, scoring on one of the two they had.