For all of the Minnesota Wild’s encouraging talk about increased roles and a “next man up” attitude in the face of a crippling run of injuries, some nights there are only so many chess pieces you can remove from the board before you hear “checkmate.”
ADVERTISEMENT
On Thursday, Minnesota looked like a team in regrouping mode, as a hungry Colorado team built an early lead and handed the Wild a 6-1 loss.
The Wild, who were again playing without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov and three of their top defensemen, looked like a team for which the endless entries on the injury report are starting to wear on their bodies and their psyches.
Minnesota got a first period goal from Zach Bogosian along with 21 saves from goalie Filip Gustavsson but saw their four-game winning streak come to an emphatic end. But for Wild coach John Hynes, the effort was more pertinent than the result.
“The score looks bad. But…the players that were in the lineup tonight competed hard. We were not under siege. We made mistakes that wound up going in the back of the net,” he said. “They didn’t generate a lot of offense. We didn’t generate a lot of offense. They scored, and we didn’t. So regardless of who we have in the lineup, I got a lot of time for the way we played, the preparation the players put in, the commitment level in the game. I know the score is not indicative of it, but a lot of times you have to look through it.”
ADVERTISEMENT
With Marc-Andre Fleury on the bench for two periods but battling an illness, Gustavsson was the only option in goal, and was victimized three times in the opening half of the third period, as the Wild — who have been the NHL’s top road team in the first half of the season — fell to a pedestrian 11-9-1 at Xcel Energy Center.
With veteran defensemen Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon all missing with various ailments and newcomer David Jiricek making his Wild debut, the back end was sure to be at least part of the story versus Colorado. And that was clearly the case in the opening 20 minutes.
The Avalanche struck first when the Wild defense was caught flat-footed and Josh Manson’s long lead pass found Logan O’Connor unattended at the blue line. The Colorado forward ripped a low shot past Gustavsson before even four minutes had ticked off in the game.
Minnesota killed the game’s first penalty, but Colorado doubled the lead just seconds after both teams returned to full strength. Wild defenseman Declan Chisholm’s muffed pass from behind his own net was intercepted by Ross Colton, who had a short shot to put the visitors up 2-0.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Wild finally answered late in the first when Bogosian took advantage of some sloppy defensive zone play by the Avalanche, and popped a rising shot into the upper right corner to re-establish a one-goal game. For Bogosian, it was his fourth goal of the season and his second in as many games.
Minnesota made a push early in the middle period and had Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood scrambling a few times. But instead of a tying goal, fans saw Mikko Rantanen use Bogosian as a screen, then pop in a wrist shot for his team-leading 25th goal of the season as Colorado took a 3-1 lead into the locker room for the second intermission.
Again Minnesota pushed to get back on the board early in the third. And again, their efforts ended up for naught, as Colorado’s Parker Kelly increased the visitors’ lead, followed in quick succession by two more.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There were some parts in the second where we liked our game. And it’s unfortunate they go up 3-1, but we needed to just provide a little bit more and cash in our chances when we can,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “It was close going into the third, and just seemed to get bit a little bit by just chasing it. And we really didn’t generate much in the third to come back.”
Blackwood finished with 24 saves for Colorado, which was playing the second of back-to-back road games following a loss in Chicago on Wednesday.
“We went over some things this morning that were kind of hurting us over the last three games and I thought the guys did a nice job implementing what we talked about and correcting some of those mistakes,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “And part of it was detail, and part of it was being competitive in the right areas and improving on some of the execution.”
Jiricek, acquired in a trade from Columbus on Nov. 30, played 16 minutes in his Wild debut.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’m so excited and blessed for the opportunity from the Minnesota organization,” he said. “That was the first one and I hope it wasn’t the last one.”
The Wild head out on the road for their next two, visiting San Jose for the second time this season on Saturday night, then facing the Golden Knights on Sunday in Las Vegas.
______________________________________________________
This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.
The Trust Project
