Gone Puck Wild
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Minnesota Wild: End Preseason with Loss to Avs in Overtime

By Cody Defoe

DENVER, CO - MARCH 02: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates a goal against the Minnesota Wild with teammates Gabriel Landeskog #92 and Samuel Girard #49 at the Pepsi Center on March 2, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - MARCH 02: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates a goal against the Minnesota Wild with teammates Gabriel Landeskog #92 and Samuel Girard #49 at the Pepsi Center on March 2, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Eric Fehr

Eric Fehr was in a surprising placement for this game, but it didn’t seem to matter to the Minnesota Wild’s most consistent performer of training camp.

Fehr came out and played most of this game as the #1 center on the line between Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund, and that line amounted for all of the Minnesota offense in this game.

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Fehr didn’t get credit on the scoresheet, but he was largely instrumental in the first Wild goal of the game. Forechecking deep in the Colorado zone he forced a turnover by Nikita Zadorov that went onto the stick of Zucker, who made a quick pass out front for Mikael Granlund to snipe it in.

Without the forecheck on that goal by Fehr, there wouldn’t be a turnover and there wouldn’t be a goal. This was 14 seconds into the second period, Fehr came out flying and caught the Avalanche flat footed in their own zone. It was a great play by a veteran expected to be on the 4th Line.

On the Penalty Kill in the final minutes, with the game slipping away from Minnesota, it was Fehr that flew up the ice with Zucker for the 2-on-1 opportunity that led to the tie game. It was slick skating for the veteran Fehr, to be able to keep up with the much faster and much younger Zucker.

On top of reaching the scoreboard, Fehr was not on the ice for any goals against, he went 7 for 11 (64%) in the faceoff circle, and spent time on both the powerplay and penalty in this one. He looked like he belonged on that first line.

Perhaps Fenton and Boudreau found another diamond in the rough with Fehr. He is a longtime NHL veteran, who has a history in his youth of being a big game player. At this point, he looks like a steal as a fourth line center who could see time further up the lineup if injuries befall the team.

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