Minnesota Wild: Key statistics that need some team focus

If there’s one specific thing that needs improvement and needs it fast for the Minnesota Wild, it’s the shots against count.

Granted, a three-game winning streak including a big result against the Tampa Bay Lightning does a little to mask the need to fix a bigger issue, but the Minnesota Wild are still allowing far too many shots against.

Zach Parise, Jason Zucker and Ryan Suter are all proving valuable on the offensive side of the ice, putting the pain on the opposition, but they’re doing so at the expense of allowing that same opposition to attack Devan Dubnyk or Alex Stalock‘s net.

Now, in the case of Devan Dubnyk, you have a top-tier, if not near elite goaltender. He is able to face up to high shot counts and still come away with wins. That’s what makes him so good.

Fact is, only the Anaheim Ducks have allowed more shots against per game (on average) this season. I know you can say its early days and that shooting and scoring always regresses post-October, but it needs to be fixed.

The likes of Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba and Greg Pateryn can’t be facing the absolute brunt of the work either. People like Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu and Nino Niederreiter need to step up and play a big two-way game to limit the break-outs and zone entries.

The Minnesota Wild desperately need to sort it out because when that regression does come, if they’re allowing shots like they are now, they’ll be dropping one-goal games here, there and everywhere.

More to the point, Devan Dubnyk will be exhausted and that is never a good thing if we want the Minnesota Wild to make it to the play-offs and beyond the first round, come next Spring.