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Minnesota Wild: Defying the statistics of a top-half team this season

By Luke Ryan

SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 06: The Minnesota Wild celebrate scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on November 6, 2018 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 06: The Minnesota Wild celebrate scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on November 6, 2018 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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ST. PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 27: Eric Staal #12 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck during a game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center on October 27, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Avalanche 3-2.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN – OCTOBER 27: Eric Staal #12 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck during a game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center on October 27, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Avalanche 3-2.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Minnesota Wild need to improve their power-play

The Minnesota Wild are among a group of only six teams in the top half of the league with a power-play percentage that isn’t also top half of the league.

Now obviously, we’re still early days in terms of a sample size, but top of the league on the power-play are Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, converting on 34% of their looks with an extra-man.

The fact that Central Division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues rank second and third respectively shows that having a strong power-play is only a component of success; they sit 17th and 26th in the standings respectively.

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However, there’s something to be said about the fact 9 of 15 teams in the top half of the standings have a power-play that also ranks in the top half of the standings.

Year on year though, there is proof to the notion that a team can make the play-offs without an elite power-play.

Last year, the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks all comfortably made it to the post-season. None of those teams were in the league’s top 15 power-play teams across the course of the year.

If you look at the make-up of the Minnesota Wild power-play unit, there is no one goalscorer, barring maybe Zach Parise that can be marked as the guy that you want to get the puck to when on the man-advantage.

Matt Dumba and Ryan Suter are perfectly suited to quarter-backing a power-play group, but you need to build it from them out, not be reliant on them.

Ideal world, you’d find a play-maker you could trade for; someone who can dish the puck around, get the opposition’s goaltender moving about and opening up some shooting lanes.

Realistically, you’re looking toward bigger guys like Jordan Greenway to limit their visibility and be an immovable object in front of net as your key power-play tactic and that’s where it’s falling down.

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