The Minnesota Wild have officially made the 2023 Postseason and they recently found out their first round opponent will be the Dallas Stars. Each team has a superstar in Kirill Kaprizov for the Wild and Jason Robertson for the Stars, who went head-to-head in 2021 for the Calder Trophy with Kaprizov coming out victorious. They’ve both established themselves as high-caliber scorers and have led their teams proudly.
The Wild are loaded with depth and in the last month or so they’ve been dealt some blows with different injuries and sicknesses, the most notable being Kaprizov missing out on a month of hockey. However, rather than crumbling without their star, the Wild rose to the occasion, particularly Matt Boldy and a few others. They’ve since gotten Kaprizov back but now there’s a question mark surrounding Joel Eriksson Ek and to get by the Stars, the Wild will need certain players to step up and lead the way.
Wild Need Gaudreau
Everyone knows Kaprizov will do what it takes to help his team, Matt Boldy has finally found his scoring stride, and Marcus Johansson has fit in well with the team, but there’s another player who has more to give. Frédérick Gaudreau has been an asset to the Wild and while it’s taken him a little time to find his place in the lineup, he’s been a great partner to Boldy. There’s chemistry there that doesn’t quite work with any other combination.
Gaudreau has been playing great hockey lately but he has more potential and another level he can reach. The Wild need him to push himself harder and show his scoring prowess more often. He’s lethal in the shootout and it would be great to see that talent transfer more into actual gameplay when he has an opening. They’ll also need his expertise on the penalty kill, not only was he crucial on the defensive side but he also scored four shorthanded goals.
While Gaudreau has been playing well, they need him to find a way to get on a scoring streak like his linemates. If he can start to contribute, that’s one more asset the Wild have to get past Stars’ goaltender Jake Oettinger.
Wild’s Dumba Needs Offense
Matt Dumba has done what he needed to do defensively with a few hiccups this season but after his benching things got better except for his offense. In 79 games he scored just four goals and 10 assists for 14 points compared to last season when he played in just 57 games but recorded 27 points. He has a boomer of a slapshot that can beat almost any goaltender and the Wild need him to use it in this series. Many times this season the entire team has gotten too caught up in passing and they need to shoot, especially Dumba.
Dumba’s main priority is defense and blocking shots which he did efficiently during the regular season with 116 in those 79 games played. They’ll need him to continue that part of his game and block even more shots if possible. One area of his game they desperately need him to improve is his turnovers, he had the fourth most on the team with 35.
A turnover at a crucial point in a game can be devastating and in the postseason there is minimal room for errors. If Dumba has a chance to take a shot he should, but he has to be very aware when he decides to make a pass. The Stars are a strong team offensively and will exploit any kind of turnover. Hopefully, he can find some success with scoring and help his team when they need it most.
Wild’s Hartman Can Step Up
Ryan Hartman has been a very interesting player to follow this season as he started on the top line with Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello but had trouble finding a rhythm. Then he was injured and missed just over a month’s time and when he returned he was dropped from the top line. He was able to stay healthy the rest of the season and bounced around with different combinations until the last couple of months when he was put back on the top line.
Despite that, Hartman was successful offensively with 37 points (15g, 22a) but suffered a significant drop from last season when he had 65 points and that’s most likely due to his injury. He’s a jack-of-all-trades type of player, one that can score and be physical when needed. The exact type of player the Wild will need to find his game in the postseason.
Hartman could be the key to getting the first line going with either a big goal or a big hit, enough to sway momentum the Wild’s way. The most important thing he needs to do is keep his composure just like he did in their most recent games against the Blues. He showed a great amount of calmness where he used to struggle and they’ll need that in the playoffs. Players look for anything to use against a team and provoking certain players into taking retaliatory penalties can happen.
If Hartman can get on a scoring streak, be smart physically and keep his composure he’ll be a very dangerous player for the Wild. Hopefully, he’ll make a big impact and help them take down the Stars.
Wild’s Fleury & Postseason
The goaltending has been up for debate all season but it seems that the Wild will go with Filip Gustavsson as the starter for Game 1, which means they will rely heavily on Marc-André Fleury as the strong and experienced backup. Gustavsson is an extremely capable goaltender but so is Fleury. However, if something happens to him, Fleury will have to be ready to go at a moment’s notice and thankfully with his nearly 20 years of experience, they don’t have to worry about that.
The Wild are very lucky when it comes to their goaltending situation and it’ll hopefully put their minds at ease so they can focus on other issues. While they need each of these players to step up they also have to take responsibility and fix certain parts of their game, such as waiting until the third period to get their game going. If the Wild can do those things and have these players make big impacts they stand a chance at winning the series against the Stars.
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