It’s been an up-and-down 2023-24 campaign for the Minnesota Wild. After firing head coach Dean Evason and replacing him with John Hynes in late November, the team continued to struggle into the new year, and now find themselves six points out of a Western Conference Wild Card spot with 17 games to go.
But every climb up the standings starts with a win, and on Sunday the Wild got it rolling with a 4-3 overtime win over the Nashville Predators. What made the victory so unique was with 90 seconds left in OT, the Wild pulled their goalie to try and score and not let it go to a shootout. With Minnesota desperate for every point down the stretch, especially against a Predators team that they’re chasing in the Wild Card race, Hynes and his group were willing to pull every trick out of the bag.
It worked like a charm as Matt Boldy scored on a one-timer and Minnesota got two points closer to one of the two Wild Card spots in the West.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Colby Cohen are joined by former QMJHL head coach Jon Goyens for the latest edition of “The Coaches Room” to analyse the Wild’s gutsy overtime-win
Tyler Yaremchuk: What did you make of Jon Hynes pulling the goalie? Would you have done that?
Jon Goyens: It was necessary! It was absolutely necessary but also calculated. Nashville tied it up late and only coming out with one extra point just doesn’t move the needle enough for the Wild.
I know Jon Hynes, I got to chat with him a lot through the pandemic. He’s a hockey nerd and very passionate about the sport. I wasn’t coached by him, but I feel like I collaborated with him a lot during the pandemic, and I can’t wish him well enough on this playoff run.
Click below to watch the full segment and the episode of today’s episode…
More must-reads: