Minnesota Wild’s 3 Keys to a Successful Postseason

The Minnesota Wild had a rough month of March as they struggled to get on the winning track multiple times and lost to several teams lower in the standings than them. Of course, any team can win on any night in the NHL, but the Wild have a lot of talent, and at times it’s disappeared on them, which is something that can’t happen when the postseason starts. 

They’ve had the past four days off from games, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. While they still practiced, these few days gave them time to re-evaluate their game and figure out how to be better. Right now, they are securely in the postseason despite their struggles, and that shouldn’t change. However, if they want to have a strong run in the postseason, they have to do several things, starting with finding their game. 

Wild Have to Find Their Game 

The biggest reason the Wild have struggled to win the past month was that they strayed from the way they normally play. They’re successful when they move the puck quickly but effectively, especially in the defensive zone. Once they’re in the offensive zone, they don’t waste time and get quick shots. That’s how they found success this season, but lately it’s been eluding them. 

They made sloppy passes in front of their own net, or when they tried to break the puck out, they couldn’t get it past their blue line because of the opponent’s defense. Their offense would take too long passing the puck, and by the time they took a shot, the goaltender was ready, or the defense would block the shot. 

If they want to have a deep run in the postseason, they have to tighten up their game in all aspects. They need to get back to their fast-paced, quick-thinking play, and if they can do that, they’ll find success.

Wild Need Everybody 

That may seem like a no-brainer when it comes to the playoffs, but the Wild truly need every part of their lineup if they want to do well. They need the first line to do its job of scoring all the way down to the checking and penalty killing of the fourth line. All the way from their top scorer, Kirill Kaprizov, to their fourth liner, Yakov Trenin, everyone plays an important role. 

Everyone knows the top line is the one that typically contributes to the scoring, and the production usually lessens as you go down the roster. However, the other lines have important roles as well, like power play, penalty kill, checking, etc. Although the Wild have had their struggles lately, they’ve been lucky in the fact that their new additions have fit into the lineup seamlessly and have fulfilled the roles expected of them. 

Michael McCarron and Bobby Brink have especially done well and contributed a lot to the lineup. While the forwards are important to the lineup, the Wild need their defense and goaltenders to step up, too. They’ll need everyone from Jared Spurgeon to Zach Bogosian to be at the top of their game, along with Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.